Vito just gives protection to people who trust him by his own rules. He has his own rules because he does not believe in society.
This is the real reason why Don Vito Corleone wants to have his own empire. He does not believe in society. His son Michael Corleone knows this for
sure. He does not blame his father because he knows what his father does is right. Don Vito Corleone is responsible in the society he has created. He is not a crazy
killer like people seem to think. He is just a responsible man in his own way. He is just the godfather of the Corleone Family.
3. Having Social and Political Power
According to Eshleman in The Family: An Introduction, wealthy families have been identified as the “very rich”, the “upper class”, and the “ruling class.”
This grouping of families is largely in power and influence Eshleman 251. The Corleone Family is a very rich family and we can also say that they are
millionaires. It is showed when a poor man named Anthony Coppola comes for Don Vito. He wants to borrow a hundred dollars from him because he wants to
make a pizza store. Don Vito is a man who understands a poor man who wants to make his own life, so Don Vito helps him by lending the money. He himself
borrows cash money from Tom Hagen to lend Anthony Coppola because the Don is lack of cash money due to his daughters wedding. That fancy wedding leaves
Don Vito Corleone a little short of cash. Hagen admires Don Vito’s kindness because although Don is a very rich man but is still willing to help poor man like
Coppola. Kephart’s The Family, Society, and The Individual states that it is
obvious that the upper stratum is a moneyed class, pride in family name is also their hallmark Kephart 152. In this situation, his social power lies on how rich
he is. Hagen watched with quiet admiration. The Don always thought that when a
man was generous, he must show the generosity as personal. How flattering to Anthony Coppola that a man like the Don would borrow to loan him
money. Not that Coppola did not know that the Don was a millionaire but how many millionaires let themselves be put to even a small inconvenience
by a poor friend? Puzo 22. Since Don Vito Corleone is young, he has already had social influence on
the neighborhood. It happens when Signora Colombo comes to young Vito’s house. Signora Colombo is Carmela Corleone’s friend. She has a favor to ask of
Vito Corleone. She has some trouble with her landlord, Mr. Roberto. Mrs. Colombo is asked to vacate her apartment because her son’s beloved dog always
barks at night and it seems to disturb the people in the apartment. Mr. Roberto is so angry and will ask the police to put her out. Now Mrs. Colombo is in Vito
Corleone’s house asking him to speak to the landlord to let her stay. Don Vito Corleone agrees to speak to Mr. Roberto on the following morning.
Vito Corleone raised his hand in surprise. “I’m asking you a favor, only that. One never knows when one might need a friend, isn’t that true? Here,
take this money as a sign of my goodwill and make your own decision. I wouldn’t dare to quarrel with it.” He thrust the money into Mr. Roberto’s
hand. “Do me this little favor, just take the money and think things over. Tomorrow morning if you want to give me the money back by all means do
so. If you want the woman out of your house, how can I stop you? It’s your property, after all. If you don’t want the dog in there, I can understand. I
dislike animals myself.” He patted Mr. Roberto on the shoulder. “Do me this service, eh? I won’t forget it. Ask your friends in the neighborhood
about me, they’ll tell you I’m a man who believes in showing his gratitude.” Puzo 209
That evening, Mr. Roberto apologizes to Vito Corleone and he says Signora
Colombo can remain in the flat and keep her dog. Even he returns the thirty dollars Vito Corleone has given him. Mr. Roberto finally knows the reputation of
Vito Corleone because he has asked his friends about Vito. Mr. Roberto eventually knows that Vito Corleone always helps his friends and the unfortunates
by doing extreme things to help them if needed. Mr. Roberto agrees to let Mrs. Colombo stay in the apartment not just because he is afraid of Vito Corleone, but
also he respects Vito Corleone. It is also described in the novel that the Corleone Family is also a powerful
family, one of the most powerful families in the United States. They have many political connections. One of the proofs is on the Constanzia’s wedding day; many
people come to the Don Corleone to show their gratitude and friendship. They do this because they know that The Don has power and he has political influence in
society. It is Luca Brasi, one of Don Vito’s friends, comes to the Don in Connie’s wedding day and brings gifts for the Don. Luca Brasi has been a friend and a
protector of Corleone Family. He is a powerful Senator. By this visit and present that he brings, it is evidence that Luca Brasi is still in the Family’s side. Vito
Corleone feels glad for Luca Brasi’s presence. Don Corleone did not hide his pleasure that so great a man as the Senator had shown him such respect. The
Senator, like Luca Brasi, was one of the great stones in the Don’s power structure, and he too, with his gift, had resworn his loyalty Puzo 39.
In The Family in America, Hawes states that political fix is important for Mafia family. It takes many forms, but the most important, is obtaining the
cooperation of the policeman and the politicians. Hawes 212. Luca Brasi is one
of the toughest men in Corleone Family. Senator is a high political position in the society but Luca Brasi lets himself fear the Godfather.
Brasi’s reputation for violence was awesome and his devotion to Don Corleone legendary. He was, in himself, one of the great blocks that
supported the Don’s power structure. His kind was a rarity. Luca Brasi did not fear the police, he did not fear society, he did not fear God, he did not
fear hell, he did not fear or love his fellow man. But he had elected, he had chosen, to fear and love Don Corleone Puzo 23.
A senator like Luca Brasi even fears Don Vito. We can understand how powerful Don Vito is. It is not easy to become someone like Don Vito Corleone who is
feared and loved at the same time. One day, a Turk named Sollozzo comes to the Don to offer the narcotics
deal. Sollozo is a narcotics man and he asks the Don to lend him two million dollars cash and guarantees that his business will be far from law because he
knows that the Don has many powerful friends and judges. “Legal protection is a must. I hear, Don Corleone, that you have as many judges in your pocket as a
bootblack has pieces of silver” Puzo 70. Besides asking for financial help, Sollozzo wants a protection from the Don. By some reasons the Don refuses the
deal. The Don said quietly “...I’ve heard you are a serious man to be treated also
with respect. I must say no to you but I must give you my reasons. The profits in your business are huge but so are the risks. Your operation, if I
were part of it, could damage my other interests. It’s true I have many, many friends in politics, but they would not be so friendly if my business were
narcotics instead of gambling. They think gambling is something like liquor, a harmless vice, and they think narcotics a dirty business. No, don’t protest.
I’m telling you their thoughts, not mine. How a man makes his living is not my concern. And what I’m telling you is that this business of yours is too
risky. All the members of my family have lived well the last ten years, without danger, without harm. I can’t endanger them or their livelihoods out
of greed.” Puzo 71
The Don has wise thoughts about what he should do. So he refuses to have a deal with Sollozo. Don Vito Corleone thinks that the narcotic business is harmful
vice and too risky. He will lose so many political connections if he has a deal with drugs and he will endanger his family members. Don Vito Corleone does not want
to sell his family’s life with greed. He tells his reasons with respect but this rejection makes Sollozzo angry and ends up in killing trial to the Don.
Three months later the Don is shot five times at the street while he is going back to his car at the street. He is still alive but badly injured though. Don Vito
Corleone is shot by the Sollozzo’s men. Michael Corleone thinks that his father is safe in the hospital. But, when Michael Corleone visits his father, he finds out that
his father is all alone in the room. Not any single Corleone man guards him. Later Michael Corleone understands that Sollozzo has bribed a police captain,
McCluskey, to make Corleone men go away from hospital, so Sollozzo will easily kill him.
When Sollozzo had approached him with the proposition to leave old man Corleone uncovered in the hospital, McCluskey didn’t ask why. He asked
price. When Sollozzo said ten grand, McCluskey knew why. He did not hesitate. Corleone was one of the biggest Mafia men in the country with
more political connection than Capone had ever had Puzo 139.
This captain knows that the Corleone Family is not an ordinary family in the United States, so he wants a big amount of money from Sollozzo for having
Corleone men leave the hospital. McCluskey knows that Don Vito Corleone is one of the biggest Mafia men in the country. Besides he wants to help Sollozzo to
eliminate one of bad men in the country, he also can get money from this. No police can refuse, nor captain McCluskey. Because Michael Corleone moves
quickly by calling his brother Santino Corleone to send some men to the hospital, Sollozzo and his men cannot approach the hospital and Don Vito is still alive and
is taken to home for recovery. While Don Vito is in his recovery, his position is replaced by Santiono
Corleone for a while. Don Vito’s children and his men think about revenge but the Don himself thinks that this killing trial is just a business matter, not a personal
one. The hot-headed Santino Corleone makes his final decision on taking revenge by killing one of Sollozzo’s trusted men. He also gives support to Michael
Corleone to kill Sollozzo and Captain McCulskey. Because the other four Families want good negotiation and the way Santino makes decision is so brutal,
they decide to kill Santino Corleone in hope the negotiation will be smooth. While driving his car, Santino Corleone is shot brutally and found dead. By this incident,
the other four big Mafia Families in the entire country that have accepted Sollozo’s drugs deal force the Corleones to accept the drugs deal. Those Families
have to force the Corleones because they do not have political connection as much as Don Vito Corleone has. They know that political connection is very important
to protect the drugs business. After Don Vito recovers, he holds a meeting presented by the five big
families in the United States. He wants peace to his family but the other families insist on getting shares of judges from Corleone to cover them from narcotics
deal. ....But I had to refuse this time. Why? Because I think this drug business
will destroy us in the years to come. There is too much strong feeling about
such traffic in this country. It’s not like whiskey or gambling or even women which most people want and is forbidden by the pezzonovante of the
church and the government. But drugs are dangerous for everyone connected with them. It could jeopardize all other business. And let me say
I’m flattered by the belief that I am so powerful with the judges and law officials, I wish it were true. I do have some influence but many of the
people who respect my counsel might lose this respect if drugs become involved in our relationship. They are afraid to be involved in such business
and they have strong feelings about it. Even policemen who help us in gambling and other things would refuse to help us in drugs. So to ask me to
perform a service in these matters is to ask me to do a disservice myself. But I’m willing to do even that if all of you think it proper in order to adjust
other matters.” Puzo 288.
Don Vito has told other Families the important point why he refuses on narcotics deal but his decision has made his son Santino Corleone killed. All other
Families want his help because they realize that Don Vito has more political connection and power than they do. Don Vito wants peace to his family so he
starts to think to share his political power to cover this deal.
B. The Causes of Maintaining Severe Loyalty
