The Godfather: Representations & Binary Oppositions

Question 1

Selection Representation

Answer 1

Which people/groups/ethnicity appear in the text

Question 2

Portrayal Representation

Answer 2

How the characters/groups are presented to the audience

Question 3

Italian Americans

Answer 3

> Codes of Italianicity: food, faces, music, decor, names
Carries connotations of the past: music, mandolin, rugged barren Sicily, old Sicilian ways of comportment for men and women, rembrandtian interiors.
Vito and Michael are chivalrous, controlled, patient family men contrary to stereotypes (e.g. palookas, romeos, wise maids, dirty)
Those who offended good mans code (woltz, sollozzo, mcluskey, sonny, carlo) deserved what they got!
Could be said to represent nostalgic desire to return to the old days

Question 4

Gender

Answer 4

> Patriarchal male-dominated society
Man as breadwinner
Real men spend time with family
Woman as homemakers, cooks, sexual objects
Kay (naive), Connie (spoilt, hysterical), Mamma Corleone (never questions family/husband)
Male child valued over female
Men ‘active’ whereas women ‘passive’

Question 5

USA

Answer 5

> Coppola saw films as a metaphor for the USA
Although set in post WW2 1940’s, the film reflects concerns of early 1970’s
Corrupt Politicians
Failing justice system
Police Corruption
Represents concerns over 1970’s USA E.g. original ideals (american dream) is corrupted.

Question 6

Crime

Answer 6

> Mafia loved their portrayal
Michael- who is a monster- is appealing to us (war hero, composed, intelligent, faithful, family man, not money orientated) in comparison with his brothers (sex, impulsive), and other mobsters (drugs)
We never see the results of the Corleone’s criminal activities on ordinary people- everyone who suffers deserves it in some way
Police ineffective and corrupt
Don Vito has set up an alternative policing system
If Michael was portrayed as a monster purely then this will destroy audience identification and pleasure

Question 7

Narrative Structure

Answer 7

Todorav’s Theory of Narrative-

Equilibrium - Disequilibrium - New Equilibrium

Question 8

Action Code

Answer 8

Instantly recognizable actions that we understand through out own social knowledge e.g. ritual of weddings, funerals, baptism.

Question 9

Enigmatic Code

Answer 9

Posing questions and resolving them e.g. will Michael carry out the Sollozzo killing? Who was responsible for Sonny’s Killing?

Question 10

Language (Semic) Code

Answer 10

Connotation of images, sounds words e.g. opening: dark room vs bright wedding

Question 11

Cultural Code

Answer 11

Knowledge of architecture, cars, fashion, other texts

Question 12

Symbolic Code

Answer 12

Binary Opposites that structure the narrative e.g good vs evil, girl vs boy etc

Question 13

Good vs Evil

Answer 13

Good:
- The wedding and Kay
- When Michael is protecting his father in hospital
- Falls in love with Appollonia
- War Hero
Evil:
- Kills Sollozzo and McLuskey
- Kills the heads of the Mafia families (Tessio and Carlo too)
- Shuts doors on Kay and Lies

Question 14

Men as Active vs Women as Passive

Answer 14

Men as Active:
- The Mafia Families make deals with each other, Dons and mafia soldiers are all male
- “Prey your first is a boy”
Women as Passive:
- Housewives, takes care of family and children
- Submissive, lets the men do what they want
- In the background

Question 15

Sicily vs USA

Answer 15

Sicily:
- Bright, sunny, peaceful
- Romantic, old fashioned values
USA: 
- Corrupt morals
- Urban/Violent/Grimy/Dark