Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… with her three brothers: Sonny, Fredo, and Michael. Connie’s full name is Constanzia, which is fitting for the daughter of an Italian-American crime family mob boss. Her father, Vito Corleone, is known by many as “the Don” of his family.
Living… on the outskirts of the Corleone organized crime family. Connie doesn’t have to get her hands dirty – her father and brothers take care of the dirty work. Instead, Connie lives a relatively normal married life, with her husband Carlo Rizzi. They move into an apartment in Hell’s Kitchen but he starts beating her. Sonny reacts worse than anyone when he sees her battered face, biting his own knuckles to stop himself from screaming. Everything goes downhill from there.
Profession… housewife, but one with connections with the mafia. This allows her and her husband to live a relatively easy life, and which also tempts Carlo to take more than his share of money from her family.
Interests… raising a happy family. That’s all Connie ever really wanted. Unfortunately, when your family is involved in organized crime, your options become more limited with age.
Relationship Status… married. Her wedding was a day to remember. The year was 1945, and her brother Michael had just returned from his military service. Everyone was as happy as they’d ever be. And then married life began, and trouble started with Carlo.
Challenge… keeping her family on even footing. Even though Carlo beats her, Connie would rather take the abuse than have Sonny and the rest of her family hunt Carlo down. She screams, “It was my fault!” in Carlo’s defense.
Personality… emotional and dramatic. She doesn’t intentionally milk her woes, but she feels them deeply, and becomes understandably depressed. It’s not easy to be the only daughter in a Corleone family run by men.
Get to Know her in...
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The Godfather chronicles the lives of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family in teh 1940's. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers—launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
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In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
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In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.
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A searing novel of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and the powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor that was passed on from father to son. With its themes of the seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and family allegiance, it resonated with millions of readers across the world—and became the definitive novel of the virile, violent subculture that remains steeped in intrigue, in controversy, and in our collective consciousness.
