The Godfather is possibly one of the greatest and most renown film in the gangster genre. This classic film, released in 1972, shows the viewers the inside glimpse of the Mafia through the lens of the Corleone, an Italian-American crime family. The films is set in the post-World War II period and focuses on the transformation of Michael, whom went from a role of a soldier to a mafia boss. This film took over the charts and had quickly gained popularity. It shapes gangster films that follows it and it changes how the world perceives the Mafia. Its influence expanded from not only the film industry, but also influences the American society and culture. It has weaved its ways into our popular culture so intricately that it is easy to miss the influence of this film in our everyday lives. One of the major ways that it shapes the American culture is how it portrays the crisis of the redefined masculinity after WWII. This portrayal is seen in the struggles of the main character – Michael as he takes on the family business after the death of his father. His struggle stems from the different natures and expectations of masculinity of what his family holds and the war itself provided. The war brought out extreme traits and expectations in men such as aggressiveness, dominance, assertiveness, and even physical strength and size. Because of the foundation the war had set for Michael, he struggles to suppresses and enforces these traits as he tries to secure his position of power in the mafia. I will be writing about how The Godfather portrays the crisis of masculinity after WWII by examining the different masculinities exhibit by Michael Corleone and the other Corleone patriarchs. I will
examine Michael’s struggle to maintain his masculinity outside of the war and at the same time trying to secure his position of authority in the mafia. By looking at this issue presented in this film, we can see how unstable the definition of masculinity is and how it has changed throughout history. This film provides us with how the war has redefined masculinity and the struggles that comes along with it. The struggle had not ended back then but continues on to our present day. By understanding how masculinity has changed, we can further understand
The definition of masculinity is quite unstable and has changed throughout the course of history. The misconception of masculinity as unchanging is addressed by Braudy in From Chivalry to Terrorism: “many might think it is unlikely that masculinity has changed over time is the seemingly irreducible fact of the male body” (Braudy 9). The male bodies with a generally taller stature, more muscular, and strong than females are more suitable for hardship and for wartimes (Braudy 9). This biological distinction between male and female may seem like the only factor that shapes masculinity. Thus, many of the traits exhibits by males are simply considered masculine such as aggression. However, Braudy pointed out that “testosterone alone…does not cause aggression, nor does its absence invariably imply a lack of manliness” (Braudy 12). Therefore, being masculine does not simply come from being biological male, but it depends on environmental factors. Braudy defined masculinity as a “constant interaction with actual events and actual bodies” (Braudy 18). Thus, masculinity is changing throughout history because of the constant interaction between historical events and the human bodies.
It is simply not enough to be masculine through biological factors, but also through environmental influences. Social, economic, and political factors all influences the social definition of masculinity. One of the major influences is the war itself. In the Godfather, Michael Corleone came back home after serving in the war. The effect of the war on masculinity can be seen in his difference with other male family members and gangster. [war brings out x,y,z traits]. When Michael have to take over the role of the head of the mafia, he has to exhibits the a different kind of masculinity that is more suited for the mafia. The complexity of masculinity is pointed by in Screening the Mafia: “emphasis…on family organizations, or shared cultural heritages, articulates masculinity as complex identification base on the interactions between group of men”(Larke-Walsh 18). Thus, we can understand the changing definition of masculinity by examining the different masculinity in the Corleone patriarchs.
This changing definition of masculinity after WWII can be seen in The Godfather from the different exertion of masculinity of the male characters Don, Sonny, and Michael. Through each character’s actions, speech, and how they are viewed by others, we can see how they exert different definition of masculinity. Don Corleone exhibits almost a pre-war masculinity. He doesn’t show aggression and violence compared other gang members and his own sons. He conveys his authority by mainly using his soft-spoken speech and small gestures. Every move by Don is elegant yet calculated. This can be seen in the opening scene, when Don exerts authority over Bonasera by simply sitting in his chair, with his head leaning on his hand. While Bonasera was showing a lot of emotions as he tells the story of his daughter being raped, Don did not move much and was stoic. This calmness that Don shows is another way he exerts his power. Such as in the scene when he caresses a lap and talking with other gangsters shows his chilling control over his speech and action. Rather than being loud and violent like typical gangster, he chooses to be soft spoken and gentle. Instead, he uses his established leadership role in the mafia and high power to show his masculinity. Don display a much stoic, calm, and elegant characteristics compared to the other gangsters. Although he is different from the other gangster, we see that he is still very much ruthless and strict. He does not hesitate to kill in order to do what he morally consider is right. [add example]. He is willing to risk everything in order to enforce his moral beliefs. This strictness is seen when he refuses to get involved in hard drugs. This split character shown by Don sets him apart from his sons and other thugs. It is this difference that secure his authority and makes him the Godfather. The masculinity defined through Don Corleone shows that older generation ideal of masculinity. All of these traits seen in Don are the traditional views of masculinity before the war: power, highly respected, and wisdom. This kind of masculinity is respected in the mafia and we will see how Don has set the foundation of masculinity for the rest of the male characters. Don exemplifies that if one wants power, then he needs to have these characteristics. This foreshadows the failure and success of Sonny and Michael’s as they replace Don’s position as the head of the family.
The character Sonny Corleone represents of extreme masculinity after the WWII. Sonny is quite opposite of his father Don. Sonny is much more impulsive, hot-tempered, and reckless. Sonny’s impulsive and rash actions can be seen at the very start of the movie when he had sex with another woman at Connie’s wedding while his wife is also at the wedding. Soon after the wedding, his sister Connie has bruises over her face because her husband had beat her. Immediately, we can see Sonny gets furious. Even his sister knows what he is planning to do: “Sonny, please don’t do anything. Please don’t do anything”(Connie). This repetition in her plead shows how desperate Connie in asking Sonny to not act impulsive and harm her husband. Without regards to Connie’s pleads, Sonny tracks Carlo down, threatens to kill him if he ever touches Connie again, and then beats him up. This scene shows us that even though Sonny cares for his family, he still acts according to his own beliefs. This carefree way of living is what leads to Sonny’s downfall. His masculinity is too extreme and uncontrollable; he has no balance of these traits like his father. Although Sonny is very physically masculine, he is still one of the weakest patriarchs in the Corleone family. What makes him weak is his inability to be in control of his emotions and actions. This is seen when Sonny collapses due to hearing the news that Don is shot. This scene shows how mentally weak he is and his inability to handle any problems. He let his emotion took control of him rather than controlling his emotion. His lack of control over his emotion making him unsuitable to be the leader of the family.
After the death of Sonny, Michael becomes the head of the family. This is when we truly see a transformation in masculinity in Michael from a war hero to a mafia boss. While both of these may seem similar in a sense that it requires violence, it is actually quite different in how it defines masculinity. While being a war hero may mean that one is a real man, the mafia requires something more. In the mafia, one is not considered a real man until they’ve killed for the family(CITE). Therefore, we can see Michael’s ability to lead the family is in questioned by the mafia when he first took over the position. Thus, in order to gain the respect of the mafia, Michael must learn to become what the mafia considers to be a real man.
While Don and Sonny Corleone are on the extreme ends of the masculinity definition, the character Michael is a mix of the two. Michael exhibits a different kind of masculinity that is not seen in his family at all. Like his father, he is calm but ruthless and like his brother, he could be violent when he believes it is necessary.