The Godfather American Culture

The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a family mafia story established through an analogy of the pre- and post- World War II gang scene, filled with organized crime in America. Set in 1940’s New York, The Godfather ultimately changed the viewpoint on American culture at the time, emphasizing the importance of tradition and respect, and how defying society’s expectations can pose a threat to those seeking the American Dream, a stark contrast from the revolutionary 70s.

The film begins with the iconic opening scene in which Don Vito Corleone, the head of the family, carries out family affairs on the day of his daughter’s wedding. Don Corleone and his son, Sonny are both approached by Bonaserra, ironically an undertaker, and beseeches The Don to execute justice against the two men who violated his daughter’s honor. Don Corleone rejects this as he thinks this man has not respected him enough. After all, the head of the Corleone family deserves respect. As the audience for this film, we also see the labeling and generalizations throughout the characters’ casual conversations, indicative of the era and traditional Italian culture. The Godfather is praised for its

portrayal of the importance of family and tradition, and how that ties into the American Dream.
In the early 20th century, America was very heavily promoted as the land of the free, and most importantly, the land of opportunity. The concept or idea of the American dream is that regardless of one’s education, inheritance, privilege, or opportunities, anybody who works hard enough will be able to achieve a well-being for themselves in America. This resulted in many immigrants coming to America to fulfill that dream and build a better life for themselves. Don Corleone himself arrived in 1909 in Ellis Island on his own during his tender youth, sent away from home by his family in the midst of a gang war.
During the onset of the post- World War II era, government and police services were not as effective as they are today. Many newcomer immigrants lived in ghettos within major cities (The Jews, Polish, the Irish as well as the Italians). We can see within the film how easily one can corrupt certain policies that are meant to be consistent and permanent. For example, in one scene, Captain Mark McClusky is paid off by Virgil Sollozzo to clear the hospital in which Don Corleone is being treated. After The Don was shot five times by his gang, Sollozzo needed to make sure his enemy was dead. Michael finds out what had happened and tries his best to protect his father when all of a sudden he is violated by Captain McClusky and the police.
Don Corleone has built the American Dream with a successful (albeit illegal) business and a lavish lifestyle for himself and his family.

Not only that, but he has positioned himself as a leader of the community. However, it can be said that Michael, Don Corleone’s son and a military veteran, had completely unraveled that success once the family business had fallen into his lap. In an increasingly more unethical and illegitimate manner, Michael failed to acknowledge the importance of family values and respect for others and started to mix his personal vengeance with business, which Don Corleone would highly disapprove of. This helps us see the comparison of Michael Corleone and how his actions and contradicting moral values represent the corruption and failure of the American

Dream.
Michael is deemed as lucky in the sense that he inherits every material aspect of the American Dream from his family, but his personal rise to power and his contradictions against his family’s moral values take a stake in the crumble of that success. For example, with the shooting of his father by drug traffickers, Michael personally starts to get more involved in the family business. This shows the audience that his revenge would mean a reduction to his own self-worth and ultimately puts him on the same level as those who are spiteful. Soon, he transforms into the street-smart criminal we see like the rest of his family. He executes the men whom he thinks is a threat to his family and flees to Sicily. Micheal does not say anything to his American girlfriend, Kay, in fear that telling her would compromise the family’s safety as well as her own.
Initially, Michael Corleone does not strike the audience as one to be apart from the family business, as it is full of violence and crime which does not comply with his ‘moral code’. “That’s my family, Kay. It’s not me.” This gives us the idea that Michael, of all the other family members, would be the least expected to take over this kind of shady business the family is running. However, we see Michael develop into the character of his own blood as he aims for the American Dream to behold the notion of success, money, and respect.
In many ways, The Godfather portrays American capitalism and how it transformed into an ideological outgrowth, that is the American dream. The discordance between moral expectations and material expectations of society is perfectly shown through the character of Michael Corleone with his gangster quest in seeking the American Dream. The American Dream is where citizens are deceived- constantly, by the myth that any hard working individual will achieve the success and lifestyle they seek. As in the case of Michael Corleone, in order to achieve the Dream- specifically in terms of materialistic aspects, the sacrifice of moral values and family is essential. As we see in the notorious ending scene, Michael is seen at the baptism of his godson and lies about ‘renouncing Satan’, while simultaneously ordering the death of others.
Everyone pursues the American Dream in whichever way they can, with all the resources and abilities they obtain. However, as the character of Michael shows the audience, it is not all roses and sunshine as we expect it to be. The Godfather does not fail to prompt to its viewers that, while the American Dream may seem to offer a life full of promise and reward, they must also live through the struggles as well.
If there was ever a movie that typified the “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” paradigm, The Godfather is it. As our world becomes more globalized every day, we are more affected and influenced by each other more than ever. The same way the themes of this film provided a spectacle, today’s political and cultural aspects are in of itself a spectacle. Americans today rely on each other for social validation, which drives the need of finding a personal, niche in-group where an individual can fit in. This country is more polarized than ever, however that isn’t to say the future is all bad. Government is more efficient and crime is at an all-time low, driving away many of the corruptive practices that are shown in the film. That being said, much of the themes of immigrant-native relations and racism are still very much alive today. The American Dream promoted strong traditional family values, something that today’s aggregated social media culture is inching further and further away from everyday.