A View from the Bridge

Arthur Miller is noted for expressing familial strain in his plays. Such a theme is expressed in The Crucible, Death of a Salesman and All My Sons.

Eddie Carbone has a steady life at home with his wife Beatrice and niece Catherine. But problems arise when Beatrice's cousins, illegal immigrants from Italy, arrive and one of them starts to romance Catherine.

It isn't mentioned, but it's clear that Eddie has an unhealthy liking towards Catherine. He finds that Catherine growing up is a threat to him and he'll be willing to keep Catherine to himself.

The themes in A View from the Bridge mirror those in Death of a Salesman. Both focus on a family trying to comprehend the mental state of the patriarch. The events throughout both plays lead to the fall of the patriarch.

A View from the Bridge is one of Miller's best plays and for good reason too. It shows the often painful realities of life at home. A must-read.

My Rating: *****

Death of a Salesman

When the name of Arthur Miller is mentioned, two of his plays are thought of. Those plays are The Crucible and Death of a Salesman, the latter I'll be reviewing.

Death of a Salesman focuses on aging salesman Willy Loman. He has become distant from his family and he escapes to memories of his past.

The dialogue throughout Death of a Salesman is very natural, fitting the American lifestyle. The most pivotal scene in the play is one of the best I've read. Willy is one of the more believable fictional characters that has been created. Death of a Salesman gives a view of American society slowly crumbling under tension.

My Rating: ****1/2

All My Sons

Along with Tennessee Willaims, I admire the plays of Arthur Miller. Having read three of his best-known works (The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, All My Sons), I know that he's a rather good playwright.

Joe Keller had manufactured defective airplane parts during the war, which resulted in the deaths of twenty-one men. His business partner Herbert Deever was blamed for the faulty parts and was sent to jail. Herbert's son George returns home from the war and his reaction to what has happened is stunning.

I'm starting to think that Miller had some father issues because the strained realtionship between father and son is evident in this (as well as Death of a Salesman). The dialogue is powerful and affecting, while the characters are fully developed.

My Rating: ****