logo

39 pages 1 hour read

A View from the Bridge

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1955

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Book Brief

logo
Arthur Miller

A View from the Bridge

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1955
Book Details
Pages

72

Format

Play • Fiction

Setting

Red Hook, Brooklyn • 1950s

Publication Year

1955

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

16-18 years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller is a two-act play set in the Italian American neighborhood of Red Hook, New York, in the 1950s. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone lives with his wife Beatrice and her niece Catherine in a small apartment. Tensions arise when Beatrice’s immigrant cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, arrive from Italy to stay. Eddie becomes increasingly troubled by Catherine’s romantic interest in Rodolpho, leading to a dramatic conflict that ultimately reveals Eddie’s deeper motivations and causes a tragic outcome. The play includes depictions of a man’s quasi-incestuous desire for his surrogate daughter and references to anti-immigrant sentiment.

Gritty

Emotional

Challenging

Suspenseful

Dark

Reviews & Readership

4.1

16,899 ratings

62%

Loved it

28%

Mixed feelings

11%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge is praised for its intense emotional depth and exploration of complex human themes such as justice and betrayal. The play's gripping narrative and well-crafted characters are standout features, though some critics feel its pacing can be slow at times. Overall, it remains a powerful and compelling drama.

Who should read this

Who Should Read A View from the Bridge?

A reader who would enjoy Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge is likely someone captivated by intense human drama and moral dilemmas. They would appreciate complex character studies akin to Miller's Death of a Salesman or Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, favoring narratives with strong emotional and ethical conflicts.

4.1

16,899 ratings

62%

Loved it

28%

Mixed feelings

11%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

72

Format

Play • Fiction

Setting

Red Hook, Brooklyn • 1950s

Publication Year

1955

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

16-18 years

Continue your reading experience

Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.