# Who is the main character in The Godfather? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 5, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658 "2017-12-05T21:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/21 "2017-12-14T17:14:38Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Vito is an important character, but Michael is the character with the arc. Agreed. I’m just listening to the audiobook, as it happens, with Joe Mantegna (unavoidably sometimes sounding like Fat Tony from _The Simpsons_) narrating. There’s reference to scaring “embryo traitors” by killing a turncoat in a very public, noticeable way. Is “embryo” in that context the same as “would-be” or “prospective,” or does it have some other meaning in Mafia slang? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/22 "2017-12-15T03:06:53Z")
Spoilers ahoy !: no you have it right … one of the reasons they left paulie in the car was to let anyone with a beef know that helping out the other side was a bad thing … Which makes me wonder WTF was carlo thinking … I think the don also knew who set up sonny but couldn’t kill carlo because 1 him and connie had kids and he had a thing about kids growing up with out a father and 2 he made the promise in the sit down not to look for him because he already knew ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/23 "2017-12-15T04:45:21Z")
It’s an interesting question. There were several occasions when Vito passed on some act of vengeance and Michael carried it out. The question is did this make Vito stronger than Michael or Michael stronger than Vito? On the one hand you can argue that Vito was stronger because he didn’t feel he had to prove himself like Michael did. Vito only killed people when he thought it was justified; he didn’t care what other people thought. The fact that Michael worried that other people would see him as weak was itself a sign of weakness. Michael felt the need to prove himself in a way that Vito didn’t. On the other hand, several people attacked Vito. Arguably if he had been more ruthless, they would have been afraid to make those attacks. Vito himself admitted there were times when the other families saw the Corleone family was weak. Michael’s ruthlessness was necessary to make other people respect and fear the Corleones and keep them safe from attacks. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/24 "2017-12-15T05:33:52Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s an interesting question. There were several occasions when Vito passed on some act of vengeance and Michael carried it out. The question is did this make Vito stronger than Michael or Michael stronger than Vito? I don’t think there is a question of who’s stronger in that sense because everything from the don’s conversation with Tom after he learns of Michael’s involvement is a trap. Vito forswearing vengeance is a strategic move that gets Michael home so he can lead the family once Vito is gone. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/25 "2017-12-15T06:56:12Z")
the don even says at one point " you guys do what you need to do" hes old the younger breed doesn’t listen to guys like him anymore… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/26 "2017-12-15T13:31:25Z")
> [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](#): > > The story starts with one godfather and ends with a different one. > > So who’s story is the movie telling: Vito’s of Michael’s? Maybe it’s a _The King Is Dead, Long Live The King_ scenario? This is the story of Don Corleone, the politically-connected head of a crime syndicate. People owe him favors. People ask him for favors. People get blackmailed on his orders. People get killed on his orders. People get killed by _him,_ personally, if the need arises. People get offered bribes by him – and, often enough, take 'em, since the alternative is all that other stuff I was just talking about. He has money and foot soldiers and a damn fine consigliere, and while he wants the family business to go legitimate he can never seem to manage it – in part because folks keep trying to kill him. In a way, you could say it’s the story of the job. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/27 "2017-12-15T17:06:29Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Funny this thread should appear now- I just watched The Godfather for the first time last weekend. Michael Corleone is the main character. I watched both movies for the first time this year. Both are the story of how a younger brother seizes power. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/28 "2017-12-15T17:18:32Z")
Both movies are about the arc of the family. Vito builds the family up and Micheal tears the family down. The twist is that the way Vito builds the family up makes it inevitable that Michael will tear it down. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/29 "2017-12-15T22:39:01Z")
It’s the same-old same-old. In order to protect your family you have to kill a couple of them. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/30 "2017-12-15T22:59:58Z")
If it’s not clear in the movie (although it is to me) check the novel. The final scene is different from the the movie’s ending. Scene: Michael’s wife Kay, now a convert to Catholicism, has gone to church. > [@Mario Puzo](#): > > Then with a profound and deeply willed desire to believe, to be heard, as she had done every day since the murder of Carlo Rizzi, she said the necessary prayers for the soul of Michael Corleone. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/31 "2017-12-16T22:07:52Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > …There’s reference to scaring “embryo traitors” by killing a turncoat in a very public, noticeable way. Is “embryo” in that context the same as “would-be” or “prospective,” or does it have some other meaning in Mafia slang? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/32 "2017-12-17T02:44:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Anyone? Yes, it’s “would be” or “prospective.” It was to send a message to anyone who might be getting ideas. Just like Barney Fife says, ya gotta nip it in the bud. NIP IT! As far as I know, it’s not mafia slang. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/33 "2017-12-19T19:12:53Z")
OK, thanks. I might’ve said “embryonic” rather than “embryo,” in that context. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/34 "2017-12-19T21:17:21Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Maybe it’s a _The King Is Dead, Long Live The King_ scenario? > > This is the story of Don Corleone, the politically-connected head of a crime syndicate. People owe him favors. People ask him for favors. People get blackmailed on his orders. People get killed on his orders. People get killed by _him,_ personally, if the need arises. People get offered bribes by him – and, often enough, take 'em, since the alternative is all that other stuff I was just talking about. He has money and foot soldiers and a damn fine consigliere, and while he wants the family business to go legitimate he can never seem to manage it – in part because folks keep trying to kill him. > > In a way, you could say it’s the story of the job. I like this. After all, the movie is titled, “The Godfather.” Not, “Vito Corleone” or “Michael Corleone.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/35 "2017-12-24T06:09:02Z")
_Godfather_ fans will appreciate the answer to our latest round of Botticelli (posts 88 to 149 here): [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=843551&page=2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=843551&page=2) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/36 "2018-01-03T16:32:43Z")
Incidentally, is there any real-world analogue to the Bocchicchio clan, who serve as mediators and hostages-for-hire in _The Godfather_?: [Bocchicchio clan | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom](http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/Bocchicchio_clan) ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658/37 "2018-01-03T17:32:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Incidentally, is there any real-world analogue to the Bocchicchio clan, who serve as mediators and hostages-for-hire in _The Godfather_?: [Bocchicchio clan | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom](http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/Bocchicchio_clan) IIRC, Jimmy Breslin also had hostages-for-hire in his book _The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight_, his novel (very) loosely based on real-life Mafiosi Joey Gallo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-main-character-in-the-godfather/803658.md?page=1)