Eddie Carbone: A Tragic Hero

In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the characteristic of the protagonist Eddie is being questioned. Is he a sympathetic hero? Or just a selfish character? Eddie Carbone is the main character of the story, he often has strong emotions that influence his actions. This makes the audience have controversial opinions towards him.

Respect is extremely important to characters and is even more important than law. Eddie was a character with status in the neighborhood, but as Marco accused him in front of the neighborhood for “killing” his children, “The one! He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children!”(pg.77) his respect and honor are taken away. Respect has a strong connection with the theme of law and order. When

The use of “home” suggests that the knife is finally placed at where it is belonged to, it also suggests the fate of Eddie. The quote from Alfieri “I knew where he was headed for; I knew where he was going to end.”(pg.47), makes the audience have sympathy towards Eddie as it shows that there was no way for Eddie to avoid his

However, it was an act of betrayal when Eddie called the Immigration Bureau to report and turn in Marco and Rodolpho. He had the choice of whether or not to betray his neighborhood, he had the choice to call the Bureau and he knows all the consequences, but he still chooses to betray his neighborhood and calls the Bureau. He does not only ruined Marco and his family's lives, he also ruined his family relationship. Again, sympathy is taken away from the audience as Eddie betrayed his family. As he pulled out the knife to claim his name, he is not considering Beatrice’s future. He only considered his reputation but didn’t consider any consequences that this action might bring to him and his