While reading “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo, Michael’s character is introduced to the readers as the semi-outcast of the family who never truly fit in. He did not condone the criminal lifestyle that his family, the Corleone family, participated in. Micheal is a war hero and has a girlfriend, Kay Adams, who he is loyal to. However, after his father is shot, who is the head of the family business, Micheal steps up and becomes the family’s protector out of a sense of obligation.
But could he have mistaken obligation with guilt? I think Michael felt guilty because he wasn’t really a part of the family and saw this as an opportunity to grow closer to his family and defend their honour. He became the very person he claimed he would never be, a murderer and criminal, all in the name of family. To protect his family, he murdered two men and went into hiding because they asked him to, leaving his girlfriend behind. By taking on this new role, he was stripped of his former values. Although he was not exactly like this father, he used their differences as his strength, he used his intelligence and calmness to become a respected leader.
“But don’t ever take sides with anybody against the family again.” (Puzo 210). This statement from Micheal emphasizes his fierce loyalty to his family which justifies the designs he makes and why he takes on this new role. I believe that you could still be loyal to your family without forsaking your values, because if we can let go of our values so easily, then maybe they weren’t really ours in the first place.
Works Cited
Puzo, Mario. The Godfather. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969.
