Analysis of the Social Conflict in Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ............................................................................. 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................ 3
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................... 3
Method of Research .................................................................................... 4
Organization of the Thesis .......................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL CONFLICTS IN MARIO
PUZO'S THE GODFATHER ................................................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ............................................................... 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 23
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Godfather ........................................................................ 24
Biography of Mario Puzo .......................................................................... 25
i
Maranatha Christian University
ABSTRACT
Tugas Akhir ini dibuat dalam rangka memenuhi persyaratan untuk meraih
gelar sarjana. Secara khusus, Tugas Akhir ini mendiskusikan konflik sosial dalam
novel The Godfather yang dikarang oleh Mario Puzo.Penulis menganalisis
konflik-konflik sosial di dalam novel yang berhubungan dengan pengaruh
kekuasaan dalam kehidupan manusia. Penulis lalu menganalisis konflik-konflik
tersebut untuk menemukan penyebab dan resolusi dari setiap konflik. Hasil dari
seluruh analisis terhadap konflik-konflik tersebut membawa penulis pada
kesimpulan bahwa konflik-konflik sosial yang terjadi diantara karakter-karakter
didalam novel ini berhubungan dengan rasa haus akan kekuasaan.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The power-related conflict happens when two people or more struggle to
get more power and most of them will do anything to achieve the power they
want. According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, power means “possession
of control, authority, or influence over others” (“power”). The conflicts that occur
because of power still happen nowadays. It is one of the biggest issues that may
lead into conflicts between human beings. Thirst of power manipulates human
behaviour towards others. Some people can control their hunger for power, but
others cannot manage to control it.
Power-related conflicts often become good sources in a crime novel. One
of the most famous crime novelists, Mario Puzo, also uses power-related conflicts
in his best-selling novel The Godfather. Mario Puzo (1920-1999) was known for
his underworld mafia and crime novels. He published his first novel Dark Arena
in 1955 and his second novel The Fortunate Pilgrim in 1965. Neither of his first
two novels became a best-seller, but he received good reviews from American
1
readers for both of them. In 1969 he published The Godfather, which soon
became the best-selling novel in America and he made a lot of fortune from this
novel. “As of 1997, there were 21 million copies sold worldwide” (Malta). In
1972, Francis Ford Coppola, an American movie director, made the movie
adaptation of this novel and the movie won three Academy Awards and Puzo
himself won the Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay. Marlon Brando, the actor
who acts as Vito Corleone in the movie, won two awards which are the best actor
in a leading role on 45th Academy Awards and the best motion picture actor on
30th Golden Globe Awards.
R. Z. Sheppard, a critic, describes Mario Puzo as follows: "The Godfather
of Mafia fiction, Mario Puzo has built an empire of best-selling fictional tales
from the world of organized crime” (“Mario Puzo Biography”). In his best-selling
novel The Godfather, Don Vito Corleone’s quote “I’ll make him an offer he can’t
refuse” (Puzo 40) has become very famous in American popular culture.
According to Lawrence Perrine’s book, conflict is “a clash of actions,
ideas, desires, or wills. The main character may be pitted against some
other person or group of persons (man against man); he may be in conflict
with some external force (man against nature) or he maybe in conflict with
some element in his own nature (man against himself). The conflict may
be physical, mental, emotional, or moral. (Perrine 44-45)
The story of The Godfather portrays the life of the Italian organized crime
families in America. The story takes place in New York City after World War II
when the Italian-American mafia families are flourishing in America. They are
known for their violence and greed for power. Unlike low-class criminals, they
2
are very well-organized in their illegal business such as narcotics, prostitution and
gambling. They are known for their vow of silence called “omerta” which means
the member of the mafia family will not talk about their mafia family or their
involvement in mafia no matter what happens to them. “La Cosa Nostra is the
foremost organized criminal threat to American society. Literally translated into
English, it means “this thing of ours.” It is a nationwide alliance of criminals
linked by blood ties or through conspiracy dedicated to pursuing crime and
protecting its members.” (“La Cosa Nostra”). This novel also includes the story
about five-families of New York City which is based on real mafia families. The
five-families of New York City, namely Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese,
and Luchesse, are the biggest mafia families operating in New York City.
The Godfather contains a lot of conflicts, and most of them are related to
the greed for power. The major characters are in conflict against each other
because their greed for power. In this thesis I will analyse six social conflicts that
happens between the major characters in this novel which are related to the main
issue about power.
Statement of the Problem
The problems I am going to discuss are:
1.
What social conflicts are experienced by the characters in the novel?
2.
What are the causes of the social conflicts?
3.
What are the resolutions to the social conflicts?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1.
To know the social conflicts experienced by the characters in the novel
3
2.
To analyse the causes of the social conflicts
3.
To analyse the resolutions to the social conflicts
Method of Research
I used library research in writing my thesis. First, I read Mario Puzo’s The
Godfather as my primary text. Second, I found the most important elements to be
analysed, which were the conflicts in the novel. Third, I look for other sources
both printed and from the internet to support the analysis. After that, I analysed
the social conflicts, then I drew some conclusions from my analysis. Finally, I
wrote the thesis.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,
Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two contains the analysis of the social conflicts in Mario Puzo’s The
Godfather. Chapter Three is the Conclusion; then followed by the Bibliography
and the Appendices, which contain the summary of the novel and the biography
of the author.
4
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After analysing the social conflicts of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, I
found some issues in relation to power. In this chapter, I would like to draw some
conclusions.
There are six social conflicts in the story. The first conflict is between
young Vito Corleone and Don Fanucci, this conflict happens because Don
Fanucci starts to extort money from Vito. Fanucci is a powerful mafia boss in
Vito’s area who is known for his greed and violence. Vito does not want to give
him money because Vito does not owe him anything. Vito decides to murder
Fanucci to resolve the conflict. The second conflict is between Vito Corleone and
Michael Corleone. The conflict happens when Vito wants Michael to be the next
leader of the Corleone Family when he retires. However, Michael refuses to get
involved in the mafia business; he wants to live his own life without being a
mafia. The conflict is resolved because Michael finally decides to become the
next leader. The third social conflict is between Vito Corleone and Virgil
Sollozzo. This conflict happens because Vito refuses to protect to Sollozzo’s
19
Maranatha Christian University
narcotics business in New York City. Vito does not agree to help Sollozzo
because Vito might lose his friends in politics and law enforcement if they know
Vito has a narcotics business. Sollozzo tries to murder Vito but he fails and then
Michael kills Sollozzo to resolve the conflict.
The fourth social conflict is between Vito Corleone and the Five families
of New York City. This conflict happens when Vito decides to bring Michael
back to New York City. Vito needs to makes an arrangement with the Five
families so they will stop the war and Michael can go home safely. This conflict is
solved because Vito makes an arrangement with the Five families. Vito agrees to
support the Five families’ narcotics business while the Five Families agree to stop
hunting Michael. The fifth social conflict is between Michael Corleone and his
two caporegimes, Salvatore Tessio and Pete Clemenza. This conflict happens
when Vito retires and Michael becomes the new leader of the Corleone family.
Tessio and Clemenza do not agree with Michael’s strategy in dealing with the
current problem in the family. Tessio and Clemenza want more manpower but
Michael does not give them permission to recruit more manpower. This conflict is
resolved after Michael and his two generals reach an agreement. The generals will
stay under Michael’s command for one year and then they can form their own
families and have their own gambling business. The sixth social conflict is
between Michael Corleone, Don Barzini, and Don Tattaglia. Corleone family is in
danger because the Barzini and Tattaglia families are trying hard to destroy them.
As the new leader of the Corleone family, Michael decides to resolve the conflict
by murdering them.
20
Maranatha Christian University
After analysing the novel, there are some interesting facts, firstly, all the
social conflicts which exist between the characters in the novel are related with
power. The social conflicts happen because the characters are trying to abuse their
power, regain more power or preserve their power.
Secondly, I notice that the resolutions of the social conflicts in the story
are mostly through murders. Resolution through an agreement rarely happens. The
organized crime families tend to resolve their conflicts by eliminating their
enemies. Italian mafia in America is known for its violence. The members are
responsible for many crimes including murders.
In conclusion, through the conflicts Mario Puzo wants to show that
hunger for power leads to deadly conflicts. The author also shows the reader about
how violent the underworld Mafia families in New York City are. The author
might be inspired by the real situation in America at that time. The organized
crime families in the novel, known as The Five Families of New York City,
actually exist in the real world. Mario Puzo changes the family names in this
novel.
Having reached a conclusion, I am sure that the author has succeeded to
show how violent the Mafia world is through the social conflicts. I think all the
social conflicts in this novel are connected with human hunger for power. The
characters have conflicts with one another because they want more and more
power. Finally, I can say that The Godfather has made me understand how
horrible the resolution of the social conflicts that occur because of hunger for
power. The need for more power can affect human actions and attitudes.
Therefore, I would like to suggest that as human beings and social creatures, we
21
Maranatha Christian University
must have the ability to control our desire for power because if we do not have
control over our hunger for power, we cannot achieve peace in our mind and in
our life.
22
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. New York: Penguin, 1969. Print.
References:
“La Cosa Nostra”. Italian Organized Crime. FBI.gov, n.d. Web. 16 July, 2015
Malta, J. Geoff. “Puzo”. Jgeoff.com, 2001. Web. 9 July, 2015
“Mario Puzo Biography.” Great Authors of World Literature, Critical Edition.
eNotes.com, 1998. Web. 10 March, 2015
Perrine, Lawrence. Story and Stucture. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovonovice.
1974. Print.
“Power” Def. 2a. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. n.d. Web. 16 July, 2015
23
Maranatha Christian University
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ............................................................................. 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................ 3
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................... 3
Method of Research .................................................................................... 4
Organization of the Thesis .......................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL CONFLICTS IN MARIO
PUZO'S THE GODFATHER ................................................................... 5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ............................................................... 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 23
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Godfather ........................................................................ 24
Biography of Mario Puzo .......................................................................... 25
i
Maranatha Christian University
ABSTRACT
Tugas Akhir ini dibuat dalam rangka memenuhi persyaratan untuk meraih
gelar sarjana. Secara khusus, Tugas Akhir ini mendiskusikan konflik sosial dalam
novel The Godfather yang dikarang oleh Mario Puzo.Penulis menganalisis
konflik-konflik sosial di dalam novel yang berhubungan dengan pengaruh
kekuasaan dalam kehidupan manusia. Penulis lalu menganalisis konflik-konflik
tersebut untuk menemukan penyebab dan resolusi dari setiap konflik. Hasil dari
seluruh analisis terhadap konflik-konflik tersebut membawa penulis pada
kesimpulan bahwa konflik-konflik sosial yang terjadi diantara karakter-karakter
didalam novel ini berhubungan dengan rasa haus akan kekuasaan.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The power-related conflict happens when two people or more struggle to
get more power and most of them will do anything to achieve the power they
want. According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, power means “possession
of control, authority, or influence over others” (“power”). The conflicts that occur
because of power still happen nowadays. It is one of the biggest issues that may
lead into conflicts between human beings. Thirst of power manipulates human
behaviour towards others. Some people can control their hunger for power, but
others cannot manage to control it.
Power-related conflicts often become good sources in a crime novel. One
of the most famous crime novelists, Mario Puzo, also uses power-related conflicts
in his best-selling novel The Godfather. Mario Puzo (1920-1999) was known for
his underworld mafia and crime novels. He published his first novel Dark Arena
in 1955 and his second novel The Fortunate Pilgrim in 1965. Neither of his first
two novels became a best-seller, but he received good reviews from American
1
readers for both of them. In 1969 he published The Godfather, which soon
became the best-selling novel in America and he made a lot of fortune from this
novel. “As of 1997, there were 21 million copies sold worldwide” (Malta). In
1972, Francis Ford Coppola, an American movie director, made the movie
adaptation of this novel and the movie won three Academy Awards and Puzo
himself won the Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay. Marlon Brando, the actor
who acts as Vito Corleone in the movie, won two awards which are the best actor
in a leading role on 45th Academy Awards and the best motion picture actor on
30th Golden Globe Awards.
R. Z. Sheppard, a critic, describes Mario Puzo as follows: "The Godfather
of Mafia fiction, Mario Puzo has built an empire of best-selling fictional tales
from the world of organized crime” (“Mario Puzo Biography”). In his best-selling
novel The Godfather, Don Vito Corleone’s quote “I’ll make him an offer he can’t
refuse” (Puzo 40) has become very famous in American popular culture.
According to Lawrence Perrine’s book, conflict is “a clash of actions,
ideas, desires, or wills. The main character may be pitted against some
other person or group of persons (man against man); he may be in conflict
with some external force (man against nature) or he maybe in conflict with
some element in his own nature (man against himself). The conflict may
be physical, mental, emotional, or moral. (Perrine 44-45)
The story of The Godfather portrays the life of the Italian organized crime
families in America. The story takes place in New York City after World War II
when the Italian-American mafia families are flourishing in America. They are
known for their violence and greed for power. Unlike low-class criminals, they
2
are very well-organized in their illegal business such as narcotics, prostitution and
gambling. They are known for their vow of silence called “omerta” which means
the member of the mafia family will not talk about their mafia family or their
involvement in mafia no matter what happens to them. “La Cosa Nostra is the
foremost organized criminal threat to American society. Literally translated into
English, it means “this thing of ours.” It is a nationwide alliance of criminals
linked by blood ties or through conspiracy dedicated to pursuing crime and
protecting its members.” (“La Cosa Nostra”). This novel also includes the story
about five-families of New York City which is based on real mafia families. The
five-families of New York City, namely Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese,
and Luchesse, are the biggest mafia families operating in New York City.
The Godfather contains a lot of conflicts, and most of them are related to
the greed for power. The major characters are in conflict against each other
because their greed for power. In this thesis I will analyse six social conflicts that
happens between the major characters in this novel which are related to the main
issue about power.
Statement of the Problem
The problems I am going to discuss are:
1.
What social conflicts are experienced by the characters in the novel?
2.
What are the causes of the social conflicts?
3.
What are the resolutions to the social conflicts?
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of the study are:
1.
To know the social conflicts experienced by the characters in the novel
3
2.
To analyse the causes of the social conflicts
3.
To analyse the resolutions to the social conflicts
Method of Research
I used library research in writing my thesis. First, I read Mario Puzo’s The
Godfather as my primary text. Second, I found the most important elements to be
analysed, which were the conflicts in the novel. Third, I look for other sources
both printed and from the internet to support the analysis. After that, I analysed
the social conflicts, then I drew some conclusions from my analysis. Finally, I
wrote the thesis.
Organization of the Thesis
This thesis consists of three chapters. Chapter One is the Introduction,
which consists of the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,
Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis.
Chapter Two contains the analysis of the social conflicts in Mario Puzo’s The
Godfather. Chapter Three is the Conclusion; then followed by the Bibliography
and the Appendices, which contain the summary of the novel and the biography
of the author.
4
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After analysing the social conflicts of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, I
found some issues in relation to power. In this chapter, I would like to draw some
conclusions.
There are six social conflicts in the story. The first conflict is between
young Vito Corleone and Don Fanucci, this conflict happens because Don
Fanucci starts to extort money from Vito. Fanucci is a powerful mafia boss in
Vito’s area who is known for his greed and violence. Vito does not want to give
him money because Vito does not owe him anything. Vito decides to murder
Fanucci to resolve the conflict. The second conflict is between Vito Corleone and
Michael Corleone. The conflict happens when Vito wants Michael to be the next
leader of the Corleone Family when he retires. However, Michael refuses to get
involved in the mafia business; he wants to live his own life without being a
mafia. The conflict is resolved because Michael finally decides to become the
next leader. The third social conflict is between Vito Corleone and Virgil
Sollozzo. This conflict happens because Vito refuses to protect to Sollozzo’s
19
Maranatha Christian University
narcotics business in New York City. Vito does not agree to help Sollozzo
because Vito might lose his friends in politics and law enforcement if they know
Vito has a narcotics business. Sollozzo tries to murder Vito but he fails and then
Michael kills Sollozzo to resolve the conflict.
The fourth social conflict is between Vito Corleone and the Five families
of New York City. This conflict happens when Vito decides to bring Michael
back to New York City. Vito needs to makes an arrangement with the Five
families so they will stop the war and Michael can go home safely. This conflict is
solved because Vito makes an arrangement with the Five families. Vito agrees to
support the Five families’ narcotics business while the Five Families agree to stop
hunting Michael. The fifth social conflict is between Michael Corleone and his
two caporegimes, Salvatore Tessio and Pete Clemenza. This conflict happens
when Vito retires and Michael becomes the new leader of the Corleone family.
Tessio and Clemenza do not agree with Michael’s strategy in dealing with the
current problem in the family. Tessio and Clemenza want more manpower but
Michael does not give them permission to recruit more manpower. This conflict is
resolved after Michael and his two generals reach an agreement. The generals will
stay under Michael’s command for one year and then they can form their own
families and have their own gambling business. The sixth social conflict is
between Michael Corleone, Don Barzini, and Don Tattaglia. Corleone family is in
danger because the Barzini and Tattaglia families are trying hard to destroy them.
As the new leader of the Corleone family, Michael decides to resolve the conflict
by murdering them.
20
Maranatha Christian University
After analysing the novel, there are some interesting facts, firstly, all the
social conflicts which exist between the characters in the novel are related with
power. The social conflicts happen because the characters are trying to abuse their
power, regain more power or preserve their power.
Secondly, I notice that the resolutions of the social conflicts in the story
are mostly through murders. Resolution through an agreement rarely happens. The
organized crime families tend to resolve their conflicts by eliminating their
enemies. Italian mafia in America is known for its violence. The members are
responsible for many crimes including murders.
In conclusion, through the conflicts Mario Puzo wants to show that
hunger for power leads to deadly conflicts. The author also shows the reader about
how violent the underworld Mafia families in New York City are. The author
might be inspired by the real situation in America at that time. The organized
crime families in the novel, known as The Five Families of New York City,
actually exist in the real world. Mario Puzo changes the family names in this
novel.
Having reached a conclusion, I am sure that the author has succeeded to
show how violent the Mafia world is through the social conflicts. I think all the
social conflicts in this novel are connected with human hunger for power. The
characters have conflicts with one another because they want more and more
power. Finally, I can say that The Godfather has made me understand how
horrible the resolution of the social conflicts that occur because of hunger for
power. The need for more power can affect human actions and attitudes.
Therefore, I would like to suggest that as human beings and social creatures, we
21
Maranatha Christian University
must have the ability to control our desire for power because if we do not have
control over our hunger for power, we cannot achieve peace in our mind and in
our life.
22
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. New York: Penguin, 1969. Print.
References:
“La Cosa Nostra”. Italian Organized Crime. FBI.gov, n.d. Web. 16 July, 2015
Malta, J. Geoff. “Puzo”. Jgeoff.com, 2001. Web. 9 July, 2015
“Mario Puzo Biography.” Great Authors of World Literature, Critical Edition.
eNotes.com, 1998. Web. 10 March, 2015
Perrine, Lawrence. Story and Stucture. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovonovice.
1974. Print.
“Power” Def. 2a. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. n.d. Web. 16 July, 2015
23
Maranatha Christian University