First line: “Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonor her.”
Any ambiguity as to what this first sentence means is quickly dispelled: Amerigo’s young daughter is in the hospital with her jaw wired shut after an attempted rape, but the two men are given a light sentence with no jail time. This is countered on page 11 (the novel starts on page 10 in this edition) with a hint of revenge: “Oh, they were all happy now, they were smiling now.” The first section ends on the same page with the introduction of another character: “For justice we must go on our knees to Don Corleone.”
After the page break, the setting is changed to a “garishly decorated Los Angeles hotel suite” where Johnny Fontane is jealous, drunk, and contemplating killing his wife. Apparently his career is in the spins—it’s unclear what this career was, but it was powerful and high profile.
Margot Ashton returns home, finding her husband drunk. She is a beautiful movie star and Fontane can’t make himself hit her (hard) because of this beauty. She mocks him and locks herself in the bedroom. Before another page break, Johnny Fontane calls a car to take him to the airport—he plans to fly back to New York to the last man he trusts: Don Corleone.
After the break on page 13, Enzo, an Italian POW, is begging Nazorine for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Katherine, the daughter, is described as “already plump, homely and sprouting a faint mustache,” and Nazorine continues to doubt Enzo’s respect for her, considering the flirting he’s seen. To make Enzo an American citizen, however, he needs the help of the Godfather, Don Corleone.
The new section on page 14 is set on the last Saturday in August 1945, the morning of Miss Constanzia Corleone’s wedding; she is the Godfather’s daughter. Friends stream out of New York to Don Corleone’s huge Long Island mansion with envelopes stuffed with cash.
Don Corleone is a man who fixes problems, never hampered by forces larger than himself. In return, “It was understood, it was mere good manners, to proclaim that you were in his debt and that he had the right to call upon you at any time to redeem your debt by some small service” (15). The wedding decorations, food, and liquor are all results of these friendships.
Sonny Corleone is introduced on the same page, the eldest son of the Don. A full paragraph is devoted to how well-endowed he is. Despite his wife and three children, it’s clear that Lucy Mancini is the object of his “plans” for this particular day. Though strong, courageous, and generous, his major flaw is a quick temper: “there were many who doubted that he would become the heir to [his father’s business].”
Frederico Corleone, the second son, is described as his father’s crutch—always dutiful and loyal. He lacks the “personal magnetism”, however, to be a leader of men, and for this he is also doubted to be the heir to Don Corleone’s business.
The youngest son, Michael, has refused the direction of his father and sits outside at a table in the garden, physically alienating himself from his family. His features are more delicate and feminine than his brothers and he is accompanied by Kay Adams, an American girl who doesn’t incur much of an impression. Before WWII, Michael was obviously the chosen heir, but he had disobeyed his father by joining the Marines, fighting for a power other than the Don. The bottom of page 17 has Michael enrolled in Dartmouth College, also without the permission of his father, and Kay Adams is described as his future wife. She notices Amerigo Bonasera, Nazorine the baker, Anthony Coppola and Luca Brasi, who Michael informs her are waiting for a favor from Don Corleone.
A black Chevrolet sedan arrives on page 18 and two men emerge, jotting down the license plate numbers of the other parked cars. When this is pointed out to the Don, he shrugs: “I don’t own the street. They can do what they please.”
Sonny stalks over to the two men, obviously angry, and spits on their car. They flip open their badges: FBI. Don Corleone is not surprised—he had instructed his friends to arrive in cars not their own. But now all the guests have arrived and a four-piece band begins to play.
After the break on page 19, it turns out that Connie Corleone has consented to a traditional Italian wedding to make up for the fact that her husband, Carlo Rizzi, is not to her father’s taste—he’s half Sicilian, half North Italian.
Peter Clemenza, a lusty, huge man whirls young women around on the dance floor to a Tarantella, later instructing his crafty peon, Paulie Gatto, to patrol the neighborhood.
Don Corleone disappears into the house, and Sonny takes the opportunity to whisper something into Lucy Mancini’s ear. They disappear, and everyone notices.
Thomas Hagen, the Don’s lawyer and family powerhouse, watches the wedding party from the Don’s office. He draws up a list of the people granted permission to speak to the Don. After handing Don Corleone the list, he is instructed to “Leave Bonasera to the end” (21).
Hagen gestures for Nazorine to enter and the Don remembers all the years of breads and pastries baked for him. He is happy to grant the man a favor. Enzo and Katherine’s situation is explained, and Don Corleone assures his friend that Enzo’s expatriation is nothing to be worried about, in exchange for a $2,000 payment to bribe certain Congressmen. Apparently he has numerous government officials to choose from.
The next man, Anthony Coppola, enters the Don’s office on page 23, asking for a loan of $500 to open a pizzeria. The Don hands Coppola a roll of bills from his pocket.
Hagen mentions Luca Brasi wishes to see the Don, although he’s not on the list. The Don shows irritation for the first time. Michael Corleone describes Luca to Kay as “one of the most feared men in the Eastern underworld,” hinting that the Don is more than just a slightly unethical businessman. Luca is an intimidating figure—wildly violent and intensely devoted to Don Corleone. Once in the Don’s office, Luca presents an envelope filled with money, undoubtedly more than anyone else had offered.
Sonny is sent for and Hagen has to search for him—it’s been half an hour since he disappeared with Lucy. Finally he is rounded up, and Amerigo Bonasera is motioned to follow the two men to the Don’s office. When Kay questions Michael about why these people are bothering his father with business, Michael relies famously: “Because they know that by tradition no Sicilian can refuse a request on his daughter’s wedding day. And no Sicilian ever lets a chance like that go by” (27).
The POV changes on page 27 after a page break to that of Lucy Mancini. She is afraid of Sonny, but flirts with him anyway—she is the best friend of the bride as well as friends with the Corleone family. They have quick, satisfying sex in one of the bedrooms. After Sonny leaves with Hagen, Lucy resumes her post next to the bride.
The narration switches back to the Don’s office where Amerigo is finally coolly received. He is not a friend of the Don, but his wife is best friends with the Don’s wife, hence his invitation. Amerigo requests to speak to the Don alone, without Sonny or Hagen, but his request is refused. Amerigo tells the story of his daughter’s attempted rape, and how she will never be as beautiful or trustful again. Amerigo whispers his final request into the Don’s ear, but he replies, “That I cannot do. You are being carried away” (31). The Don enumerates the disrespect Amerigo has affronted him with—never inviting the Don to his home or asking for friendship. Amerigo is asking for murder now that the American justice system has failed him. Finally, the Don accepts Amerigo’s friendship and the man’s request for murder.
Johnny Fontane arrives at the wedding party on page 33, stealing the limelight away from the groom as everyone is happy to see him after his two year absence. After a raucous string of songs—Johnny has become a wildly famous singer—he joins his godfather in the house. Johnny’s life is in a downward spiral—neither of his ex-wives wants him around and his voice is on the way out. Don Corleone mocks him good-naturedly, chastising him for burning his bridges when his fortune was good. The Don reassures Johnny about his career, saying of his producer-boss, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” (39).
Hagen and the Don cover family business on pages 39-40: Hagen will fly to L.A. to handle Johnny’s problem, the Don will give a “no” to Virgil Sollozzo to an unmentioned question, and the Don vehemently states that his new son-in-law will never have a roll in family business.
Page 43 has the Corleone family piling into a Cadillac to pay their last respects to Genco Abbandando, the family’s previous lawyer, who is on his deathbed. Genco is delirious with pain, pleading with the Don to bargain his life away from the devil.
The first 50 pages wrap up with Lucy Mancini naively expecting a date from Sonny, Amerigo having a terrible nightmare, Kay’s courtly deliverance to her New York City hotel, and Tom Hagen purposefully setting off to L.A.
The sheer amount of characters makes these first 50 pages a challenge, but Puzo pulls it off. The narration is simple and there is rarely more than one character introduced at a time, making them more memorable. This introductory excerpt definitely grabbed my attention—no wonder it’s a classic—and the characters of Don Corleone and Sonny were especially riveting. Puzo manages to make these guys incredibly intimidating. The characters are definitely the driving force of this novel, and the simple, unselfconscious narration doesn’t distract from this. The interspersed Italian thrown into the dialogue adds credibility, as does the obvious importance of loyalty and respect. The Corleone family is a world unto itself: they have their own law, hierarchy, and culture distinct from their American environment making The Godfather unique to an American audience.
Concierge Medicine, by Dr. Steven Knope: Steve is a Tucson local whose book explores a revolutionary and increasingly popular movement in the health care industry that centers on a much stronger doctor-patient relationship.
