What do I need to know about ... Red Hook and the Docks?
Brief Description
Miller based ‘A View from the Bridge’ in a small area called Red Hook. It is located in Ne
Red Hook
w York,
and is the only part of the city that has a full view of the Statue of Liberty. This is extremely ironic as Marco and Rodolpho illegally immigrated into Brooklyn from Italy and the Liberty of Statue is supposed to represent freedom and the liberty for immigrants, yet Marco and Rodolpho were arrested.
The Dutch established the area in 1636. It was one of the earliest areas in Brooklyn to be settled and in 1850 when the Atlantic Basin opened; Red Hook became one of the busiest ports in the country. It was also known as a ‘tough’ section of Brooklyn (Al Capone started his crime spree here). The play was originally going to be called ‘The Hook’ however it was eventually withdrawn because there were complaints that it was un-American.
The docks in the play are also important as this is where Eddie makes a living. They are also one of the busiest docks in the country. In 1950, when there were 21,000 people living in Red Hook, it was also the peak of the longshoremen era. Most people who live in the houses in Red Hook (established in 1963) are dockworkers.
The fact that the area is called Red Hook is improtant as red can symbolize happiness,
marriage, prosperity, passion and love. Again, this is extremely ironic as some of the events
that take place in the play are based around these words.
Neighborhood in the New York city borough of Brooklyn. Red hook is part of South Brooklyn. It's a peninsula between Buttermilk channel,Gowanus Bay and Gowanus Canal at the southern edge of Downtown Brooklyn. Red Hook is connected to Manhattan by the vehicles-only Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Red Hook was a separate village. It is named for the red clay soil and the point of land is projecting the East River. It's a very poor village where most people employed are longshoremen who work at the docks. It's also where most of the poor often illegal immigrants come in from other countries but mainly from Italy. The village was settled by the Dutch colonists of New Amsterdam in 1636.
Key Quotations
"In this neighbourhood to meet a lawyer or a priest on the street is unlucky. We're only thought of in connexion with disasters..."page11
This quotation is very explicit in its meaning. The fact that lawyers or priests, who in the majority of civilised society would be regarded with respect, even awe, are demoted in this area to harbingers of doom is quite telling of the kind of society in Red Hook. It proves that the area is relatively undeveloped and coarse, and law and religion take second place to basic survival.
"Frankie Yale himself was cut precisely in half by a machine-gun...two blocks away"page 12 "...there were many here who were justly shot by unjust men."page 12 The above two quotations reveal (rather graphically) a great deal about the law, morality and values in Red Hook. As is apparent, national and federal law don’t have any great significance in the way the area’s inhabitants deal with different issues. In connection with the quote about lawyers being considered bad luck; seeking legal help seems to be the last resort for most people in the area, therefore it is no surprise that they are considered some sort of ill omen.
"This is Red Hook, not Sicily. This is the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge."page 12 Perhaps the only quotation in the whole book that mentions the words “Red Hook” explicitly. It gives a brief description of the area, and something almost like contempt can be felt from the use of the word “slum” and its comparison to the Italian city of Sicily. The fact that the area is on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge not only partly explains the ambiguity of the play’s title, but furthermore explains a) the existence of the docks, b) why the area is such a popular landing site for illegal ‘submarines’ and c) why the majority of those employed in the area seem to be mainly longshoremen. "This is the gullet of New York swallowing the tonnage of the world...I no longer keep a pistol in my filing cabinet."page 12 A very descriptive metaphor, almost too theatrical for Alfieri and his “entirely unromantic”(page 12)practice. The man obviously feels very strongly about the place, and yet the quote proves that there is something in Red Hook that binds him to it quite strongly as he continues to practise there. It is unsure whether his reference to no longer keeping a pistol in his filing cabinet is ironic, given the coarseness of the area. "My wife...my friends (have) warned me...people in this neighbourhood lack elegance, glamour."page 12 “Who have I dealt with in my life? Longshoremen and their wives, and fathers, and grandfathers...family squabbles – the petty troubles of the poor” page 12 “...those guys look at all the girls, you know that” page 14 “If you’re gonna get outa here then get out; don’t go practically in the same kind of neighbourhood.” Page 19 “Is he honest?...No. But as long as you owe them money, they’ll get you plenty of work.” Page 27
"Now, in the street, Louis Mike, and several neighbours including hte butcher, Lipari...are gathering around the stoop." page 76
What do I need to know about ... Red Hook and the Docks?
Brief Description
Miller based ‘A View from the Bridge’ in a small area called Red Hook. It is located in Ne
and is the only part of the city that has a full view of the Statue of Liberty. This is extremely ironic as Marco and Rodolpho illegally immigrated into Brooklyn from Italy and the Liberty of Statue is supposed to represent freedom and the liberty for immigrants, yet Marco and Rodolpho were arrested.
The Dutch established the area in 1636. It was one of the earliest areas in Brooklyn to be settled and in 1850 when the Atlantic Basin opened; Red Hook became one of the busiest ports in the country. It was also known as a ‘tough’ section of Brooklyn (Al Capone started his crime spree here). The play was originally going to be called ‘The Hook’ however it was eventually withdrawn because there were complaints that it was un-American.
The docks in the play are also important as this is where Eddie makes a living. They are also one of the busiest docks in the country. In 1950, when there were 21,000 people living in Red Hook, it was also the peak of the longshoremen era. Most people who live in the houses in Red Hook (established in 1963) are dockworkers.
The fact that the area is called Red Hook is improtant as red can symbolize happiness,
marriage, prosperity, passion and love. Again, this is extremely ironic as some of the events
that take place in the play are based around these words.
Neighborhood in the New York city borough of Brooklyn. Red hook is part of South Brooklyn. It's a peninsula between Buttermilk channel,Gowanus Bay and Gowanus Canal at the southern edge of Downtown Brooklyn. Red Hook is connected to Manhattan by the vehicles-only Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Red Hook was a separate village. It is named for the red clay soil and the point of land is projecting the East River. It's a very poor village where most people employed are longshoremen who work at the docks. It's also where most of the poor often illegal immigrants come in from other countries but mainly from Italy. The village was settled by the Dutch colonists of New Amsterdam in 1636.Key Quotations
"In this neighbourhood to meet a lawyer or a priest on the street is unlucky. We're only thought of in connexion with disasters..." page11
This quotation is very explicit in its meaning. The fact that lawyers or priests, who in the majority of civilised society would be regarded with respect, even awe, are demoted in this area to harbingers of doom is quite telling of the kind of society in Red Hook. It proves that the area is relatively undeveloped and coarse, and law and religion take second place to basic survival.
"Frankie Yale himself was cut precisely in half by a machine-gun...two blocks away" page 12
"...there were many here who were justly shot by unjust men." page 12
The above two quotations reveal (rather graphically) a great deal about the law, morality and values in Red Hook. As is apparent, national and federal law don’t have any great significance in the way the area’s inhabitants deal with different issues. In connection with the quote about lawyers being considered bad luck; seeking legal help seems to be the last resort for most people in the area, therefore it is no surprise that they are considered some sort of ill omen.
"This is Red Hook, not Sicily. This is the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge." page 12
Perhaps the only quotation in the whole book that mentions the words “Red Hook” explicitly. It gives a brief description of the area, and something almost like contempt can be felt from the use of the word “slum” and its comparison to the Italian city of Sicily. The fact that the area is on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge not only partly explains the ambiguity of the play’s title, but furthermore explains
a) the existence of the docks,
b) why the area is such a popular landing site for illegal ‘submarines’ and
c) why the majority of those employed in the area seem to be mainly longshoremen.
"This is the gullet of New York swallowing the tonnage of the world...I no longer keep a pistol in my filing cabinet." page 12
A very descriptive metaphor, almost too theatrical for Alfieri and his “entirely unromantic” (page 12) practice. The man obviously feels very strongly about the place, and yet the quote proves that there is something in Red Hook that binds him to it quite strongly as he continues to practise there. It is unsure whether his reference to no longer keeping a pistol in his filing cabinet is ironic, given the coarseness of the area.
"My wife...my friends (have) warned me...people in this neighbourhood lack elegance, glamour." page 12
“Who have I dealt with in my life? Longshoremen and their wives, and fathers, and grandfathers...family squabbles – the petty troubles of the poor” page 12
“...those guys look at all the girls, you know that” page 14
“If you’re gonna get outa here then get out; don’t go practically in the same kind of neighbourhood.” Page 19
“Is he honest?...No. But as long as you owe them money, they’ll get you plenty of work.” Page 27
"Now, in the street, Louis Mike, and several neighbours including hte butcher, Lipari...are gathering around the stoop." page 76
Its Role on the Novel