The Corleones are both a family and a "family"—one of New York's five mafia families. They're pretty tight-knit: "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again," says Michael when his brother Fredo gets out of line.
Loyalty to the family is a more important principle for most of The Godfather's characters than loyalty to any other principle or institution, like religion or the nation's laws. For a lot of people, family is a basic part of the order of society. But for the Corleones, it's actually an alternative to that order—it's a way of working outside the system to get the things that you want.
Questions about Family
- What do you think is typical about the Corleones as an American family? What's not typical?
- Is anything more important than family for the Corleones? Why is family so important to them, anyway? Is it possible for family to be too important?
- How does loyalty to the family help the Corleones in America? Does it give them an unfair advantage, or are they still underdogs?
Chew on This
Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?
Nothing is more important than family.
Some things are, actually, more important than family.