The Theme of Paternal Love and Incest in "A View from the Bridge"
The essay uses Arthur’s “A View from the Bridge” to explore the theme of paternal love which extends to the extreme levels of incest. In doing so, the analysis focuses on homosexuality between Rodolpho and Eddie and the marital impotence between Eddie and his lovely wife, Beatrice. Besides, the discussion explains the awakening of Catherine’s sexual interest when she finds herself at the center of attraction between his uncle, Eddie, and his cousin, Rodolpho. The essay uses Freudian’s theory of personality and pleasure in exploring the three questions. In the essay, it is explained that the psychologist views the mindset as a conglomeration of id, ego, and superego parts.
The Role of Id, Ego, and Superego
The id part is responsible for pleasure and is considered to be the egocentric part of the mind while superego is responsible for one’s morality and the balance between geocentricism and morality is decided by the ego.
Eddie's Desires and Actions
The first question answered in the essay is, “Has Eddie thought of having sex with his niece?” The discussion justifies why Eddie’s actions prove that he has imagined a situation where he would have sex with Catherine. On the second question, "Does Eddie have a sexual interest in Rodolpho when he kisses him?" the essay explains reasons why Eddie’s kiss with Rodolpho is not inspired by love or sexual attraction. Finally, on the question of why Eddie is not having sex with his wife, the analytical discussion focuses on Eddie's actions towards Catherine and Rodolpho to explain that his desire and obsession towards Catherine is to blame for the three-month nonsexual involvement with Beatrice. The essay uses seven sources listed on the reference page.
