Choose a MINOR character from Godfather and explain why s/he got your attention.
For example: why did you like/dislike him/her?
Was it well fleshed out or s/he deserved better treatment by Puzo?
Did it provide a different insight into the unusual dynamics of the family?
Did it provide a different perspective about the psychology of a main character?
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I feel like Kay, Michaels girlfriend is a minor character. She is someone who has caught my attention because she is an outsider coming into the family. She is learning all the dirty secrets of the family business and is finding it to be rather exotic. I feel like because Michael and her are together and she is learning all this stuff about the family that she will later become a more important character. But for now i feel like she is just someone who is involved due to association with the one family member who is also suppose to not know the full information of the family business.
ReplyDeleteYes she seems out of place. Like a sheep among wolves. Like any other outsider she is interested by this world and wants to know more about it. Which is why Michael does his best to keep not only her but himself away from the Corleone's. Hence the small private marriage. Nice job Gabriella.
DeleteI think in the end Kay will be considered a loose end to the Corleone family. She's gaining too much information and if pressed I think she would sing like a canary jeopardizing the Corleone family business.
DeleteI don't particularly like her character I feel as though she is just interested because they are "exotic." She views them as a different kind of people, another species. I don't think she will be happy when she finds out exactly what she married into.
DeleteKay simply has no idea what she is getting involved with with the Corleone family. And Michael not being totally honest with her is not helping her realize just how dangerous this lifestyle is.
DeleteI agree with Jamielee, I also did not like her too much as a character. I felt as soon as she found out what Michael and his family were doing, she should of left him. It is not good for her to know all this information because it may put her in a bad situation and in a great deal of danger.
DeleteOne character I simply couldn't stand was that of Jack Woltz. I didn't like him because he was a sex offender and a cruel man. He is a man who lives in his own world in which he thinks of himself as God. His ego has lead him to think he is a man equal to Don Corleone in terms of money and power. The murdering of his prized horse showed just out of his league he was when he thought he was an equal to the Don. It also showed how much the don loved his Godson. Frankly with the death of his prized horse, the guy got a major wake up call that he truly deserved.
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DeleteYou know Travis, I thought the same thing when his horse died. Maybe a "cruel" inconsiderate person like Woltz, did need something bad to happen and that, possibly, could've made him realize how to act in a more humane way.
DeleteThat was a great interpretation of showing how power and threats keep people in line. As much as I didn't like the horse being killed it was important to show the power of authority the Don had. This made Jack become one of the Dons puppets and let him use Jack to help Johnny.
DeleteHe really was an off-putting character prior to his meeting with Hagen, but after finding out he molested little girls put me over the top. It's disgusting for a man to do anything sexually with a child. It doesn't seem like he's even ashamed, he probably does that to every child that comes to his studio looking for an acting job.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the characters that I think is minor is Kay Adams. Kay and Michael do like each other and possibly want to get married. However, Kay doesn't know much about the Corleone's and what they do; more like someone who is out of the loop. I'm in favor of Kay as a character in the book. For now, she asks questions and tries to know more about what goes on with Michael and his family. In my opinion, Puzo shouldn't have given her more importance in the book. I think it's good that she doesn't know so much, because she gets very defensive and scared when Michael tells her some things that occurred, such as Luca Brasi killing six men. So maybe, some things are better left unsaid to Kay.
ReplyDeleteI believe that although Kay does like Michael, she is up to something. She just hits me as suspicious. I also feel as if the less she knows the better, maybe it is because of my suspicions but I think Michael should tell her less.
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DeleteI feel with kay knowing all the information about Michaels family puts her in a bad place. It will get her in trouble
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree Gabriella! Even though she'll probably be in on all of it sooner or later, it's better off that she doesn't know.
DeleteYes that her relationship with him comes at a cost. She will have a great husband and a man who truly cares about her, but she will also get the family baggage as well. Yes at first he tries to stay away from the crime family, but that doesn't last long. In the end Kay will know the truth about her husband and his family.
DeletePaulie Gatto seemed like a sneaky character from first glance. When he was first mentioned in the book, he was eyeing the wedding money Connie had in her silk purse out of habit. That's not a normal habit to see money and want to take it regardless of the situation. From the beginning I could see he would be trouble, and he ended up selling out the Don for a deal with Sollozzo.
ReplyDeleteThe first time Paulie was introduced I knew he was trouble. When he was thinking about stealing the bride's money that just shows he is up to no good. I think it definitely revealed a lot about his character early on
DeleteTotally overlooked that. Great attention to detail. That made his ultimate demise make that much more sense.
DeleteLuca Brasi is a man that isn’t like any other. The way the Godfather respected and treated him was so different than any other man. Don Corleone admitted to feeling nervous around him. I loved the power that Luca exuded. He is powerful and he knows it. I hope we get see a lot more of him as the book goes on, because I’d love to see the interaction between him and Don Corleone again.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the power this character had over the Don, he is a little mysterious to me. I'm wondering what is he capable of and how important is he for the story later on.
DeleteEven when Luca was killed, it took for it to be in a way that the enemy knew they could get him. In their territory and outnumbering him. He would have been way too cunning and dangerous to be in situation he may have the chance to escape from.
DeleteI find Johnny Fontane to be an intriguing character. He is the godson of Don Vito and a Hollywood star. I like how everyone in the family attracts to him when he shows up for the wedding and his relationship to the Don as his godson makes him much, much closer than most people.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how everyone looks up to Johnny, the second he enters the venue, yet really he's slowly falling apart. He tries to put up a front, sing a couple of songs with Don Vito, but it becomes obvious that the guy is there for some much needed help. This also goes to show that once people become successful independently, they always find a way back to the Don.
DeleteJack Woltz was minor character I couldn't help but notice and think about. The more I read about him the worse he became, his character served to show how much the Don has and how far reaching it is. I think Puzo did a great job on fleshing out Woltz and showing his true character. I despise his character for this egotistical personality and the sick man he is for preying on young girls.
ReplyDeleteI agree, these are the same reasons why the character of Jack Woltz grabbed my attention. I felt that his ego was getting to him and made him forget who he really was. The killing of his favorite horse helped to remind him where his place was compared to the Don.
DeleteA minor character that caught my attention was Don Corleone's daughter's new husband, Carlo Rizzi. What I found interesting about him was how concerned he was about how much money was in each of the envelopes they were receiving at the wedding. This makes me question if he is marrying Connie because he is in love with her or because he wants to married into the family and for the money. What I also liked when reading about this character, was how Don Corleone sent "trusted friends" to do some background research on him before he married his daughter. Though he had some trouble with the law, Don Corleone was interested in Carlo's gambling because he knew that he would "profit" from that.
ReplyDeleteCarlo Rizzi is quite interesting, since I really think he's in it for the money. This is also proven later on when we find out that he's cheating on her and physically abusing her on occasion. I think he's put in to test the Don's powers and to see exactly what slips by.
DeleteCarlo Rizzi's addition to the book is interesting because like you said Morena, this is all happening under Don's eye and he hasn't taken notice. Considering how powerful every one thinks he is, he should have noticed (or at least one of his men) should have noticed that Carlo was really sketchy. I don't see things ending well for him especially if he continues to physically abuse Connie.
DeleteGenco Abbandando is literally dying in a hospital and, for some reason, thinks that the Don is the one who can bring him back to life and make all of his problems go away. This minor character was put in by Puzo to show exactly how powerful the Don is and to what extent some people think his "magic" works. This man seriously believes that the Don can biologically cure him.
ReplyDeleteYes! This stood out to me as well because it really shows how important people think Don is that they would think he has God like abilities. It also shows his relationship with Don considering how long he has worked for him. He has so much trust and faith in him that he would put his own fleeting life in Don's hands thinking he was truly able to help him. It's both beautiful and really sad.
DeleteOne minor character that stood out to me was Amerigo Bonasera. He's saved for last to see the Don during the wedding scene and is the only one who Don gives a little bit of a hard time when he asks for help in getting revenge against the boys who hurt his daughter. Amerigo is the one character so far who has tried to live the "American" lifestyle as clean as possible. He goes through with life following the "laws of the land" and believed that he came here for that reason so why go against it? Now that he is in need of help, we see his vulnerability and desperation and we also see how Don reacts to people who don't put his friendship and trust first.
ReplyDeleteI liked Amerigo Bonasera, he tried to keep away from the Don and the whole mafia lifestyle. And the one time he decides to actually go to him was to get revenge for his daughters beating. He isn't a bad guy at heart, I think he just couldn't go on in life knowing that the men that beat his daughter got away with it. Respect.
DeleteKay Adams is a minor character that caught my eye. Compared to everyone else in the book, she is pretty innocent and naïve. She doesn't seem to have any idea about what is really going on and what she got herself into. I like the idea of her, because it shows what kind of man Michael was before he got into his families business. Kay is obviously not used to the Coreleone family, but I think there will be more to her.
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