A View From The Bridge: Justice and The Law

Justice and The Law
1. "civilized" American law vs. "uncivilized" Italian tradition
  1. When the American justice system is incapable of bringing the characters the kind of justice they think they deserve, everything goes haywire.
    1. They resort to their unspoken codes of their Italian roots. This results in stuff like bloody revenge and duels in the streets.
2. The Red Hook community knows that the law does not provide justice.
  1. Eddie and Marco want justice but Alfieri warns that the law cannot help.
    1. If he obeys the law, he lives.
3. Alfieri establishes importance of Justice and the Law in his opening speech
  1. "In Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten.."
4. Vinny Bolzano: Obeying the law yet doing something unjust - (Foreshadow)
  1. they grabbed him in the kitchen and pulled him down the stairs...And they spit on him in the street, his own father and his brothers. The whole neighbourhood was crying."
  2. "a guy do a thing like that? How's he gonna show his face?"
5. Eddie is warned by Alfieri to allow C & Rs wedding - suggests his feelings for C are "unnatural".
  1. "When the law is wrong it's because it's unnatural, but in this case it is natural and a river will drown you if you buck it now."
  2. Eddie ironically snitches on M & R to immigration Bureau - he has no fixed principle of justice, his feelings dictate what he believes to be 'just'.
    1. Betrayal of Family and Community - Like Vinny
  3. Morally and legally you have no rights, you cannot stop it; she is a free agent.
6. Alfieri tries to make Marco realise who is the real 'judge' of events - God.
  1. "You hear? Only God makes justice.".
  2. To promise not to kill is not dishonorable.
  3. That one! I accuse that one!

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A View From The Bridge: Justice and The Law

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	Created by Julia falconer almost 10 years ago