The Godfather and the Meaning of Family
The Godfather
A family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, and is considered a group, whether they reside together or not; the traditional family, which usually consists of family values and beliefs. In American literature family serves as a base in our society which can be shaped and molded into many different forms. Mario Puzo’s The Godfather demonstrates family as a successful business, with strict and traditional Italian roots.
The story is focuses on the Corleone family, a very close knit traditional Italian-American family, who all live on the same cul de sac and are neighbors to each other. Their business is based on the family’s mafia operations. They live their lives in the midst of crime. Some takes the law into their own hands, by avenging a crime to protect the weak while others use it to rise into a position of wealth and power. The executive or head of the Corleone family is the decision maker or “shot caller;” he is like the “Robin Hood” of the Sicilians people. To all those who have proven their loyalties to him are entitled to help from their “Godfather.” He is willing to help anyone who calls them his friend; because he believes that “Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family” (Puzo 38).
The executive or head of the Corleone family is Don Vito and after his death, Michael; his youngest son, who later takes the role. In a sense, both in the novel and film begin and ends with “the Godfather” and some may call him “the Don.” Through they both have very different experiences, they are believed to be “infinitely more intelligent and less obviously corrupt than any of the other characters” developed in the story (Williams 77). Both are willing to accommodate their competitors, take a step back, and not get involved unless necessary, for they believe to never hate your enemies because it affects your judgment and to keep their friends
A family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, and is considered a group, whether they reside together or not; the traditional family, which usually consists of family values and beliefs. In American literature family serves as a base in our society which can be shaped and molded into many different forms. Mario Puzo’s The Godfather demonstrates family as a successful business, with strict and traditional Italian roots.
The story is focuses on the Corleone family, a very close knit traditional Italian-American family, who all live on the same cul de sac and are neighbors to each other. Their business is based on the family’s mafia operations. They live their lives in the midst of crime. Some takes the law into their own hands, by avenging a crime to protect the weak while others use it to rise into a position of wealth and power. The executive or head of the Corleone family is the decision maker or “shot caller;” he is like the “Robin Hood” of the Sicilians people. To all those who have proven their loyalties to him are entitled to help from their “Godfather.” He is willing to help anyone who calls them his friend; because he believes that “Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family” (Puzo 38).
The executive or head of the Corleone family is Don Vito and after his death, Michael; his youngest son, who later takes the role. In a sense, both in the novel and film begin and ends with “the Godfather” and some may call him “the Don.” Through they both have very different experiences, they are believed to be “infinitely more intelligent and less obviously corrupt than any of the other characters” developed in the story (Williams 77). Both are willing to accommodate their competitors, take a step back, and not get involved unless necessary, for they believe to never hate your enemies because it affects your judgment and to keep their friends
Cited: Mannino, Mary Ann. "The Godfather and American Culture: How the Corleones Became 'Our Gang. '." MELUS 28.3 (2003): 218-232. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. Puzo, Mario. “The Godfather.” Greenwich: Fawecett, 1969. Print. Simon, William. “Analysis of the Structure of The Godfather, Part One." Studies in the Literary Imagination 16.1 (1983): 75-90. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. The Godfather. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. Paramount Pictures. 1972.DVD.