In the play "A view from the bridge", we meet a character named Alfieri. Arthur Miller uses the character of Alfieri to present to the audience additional information making us more easily understand and perceive the play correctly. I consider his role as a typical chorus of a play, as he plays a well educated lawyer with ethnic background towards Italia. The author uses the character as a story-teller with important discussions and comments as well as a character with direct contact and vital discussions with some of the main characters in the play. .
Significantly by the title "A view from the bridge", this is indeed exactly the role of Alfieri's character. Miller uses distinctively the character of Alfieri as a viewpoint of the story , something he does in a very elegant and dynamic way. Even by looking closely at the title, we can see that the author has chosen to use exactly the word view. The character will help the audience build up understanding and the right perception of the overall setting of the play. .
Alfieri tells us the story from a very impartial and narrative perspective. I believe the author has chosen to do this because it makes the audience feel that he is telling this story both for his own sake, but also as much as for anyone else's. He presents it precise and descriptive to make his support for realism.
Justice and law are mentioned several times during the play, and could be considered an essential part of the play. Through the character of Alfieri, the author presents an ethnic Italian-American lawyer which could be considered as a pure symbol of justice and law. The author creates a symbolic comparison between the American law and the ethnic law. We get an understanding of the law being divided in half. One part represents the American dream, its society and wealth. And the other part represents the immigration families in Red Hook, seeking for the American society and wealth.
