Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up… in Sicily. His father was killed by a powerful Sicilian crime boss, and Vito barely escaped with his own life. He swore to take his revenge one day, no matter the cost.
Living… at the top of Italian-American organized crime in New York City. Vito rose to power in the 1920s and soon became “Don” of the Corleone family. By the 1940s, people are coming to Vito’s home on the day of his daughter Connie’s wedding and begging him for favors. Vito is “a fair man,” and doesn’t believe in handing out help without good reason. He has come to a point in his life of crime where he must ask those who come to him, “Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?” Given the power Vito has amassed, it’s a fair question.
Profession… leader or “Don” of the Corleone crime family. Vito deals in all kinds of organized crime, from money laundering and bribery to dirtier acts like assault and murder.
Interests… the good of the Corleone family. With great power comes great responsibility, and Vito is a very powerful man. His primary concern is moving the family business forward, and destroying anyone who stands in his way.
Relationship Status… married. His wife, Carmela, is loving and understanding of his job. She accepts what he must do in order to keep their family in power.
Challenge… bequeathing the Corleone empire to the next generation. He spent his entire life trying to make something worthy of passing on, to create a respected name for his family. And in his later years, he feels that he has been successful – though in his line of work, the struggle never ends. There are hired killers waiting around most every corner to take the Corleone family down.
Personality… gracious, intelligent, and soft-spoken, but iron-willed. Vito is the kind of man that would rather use two words than 10. He believes in brevity as much as he believes in justice and honor. Family comes first. He is a great ally to have, but a dangerous enemy.
Get to Know him 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.
