The God-Father is Dead: from the Corleones to the Sopranos.

Abstract

According to Lacan, in our time, we can talk of “death of the father”, that is a radical change in the aspect of the father figure. It’s a type of father that is completely different from the old pater familias. How can we consider or where can we place the mafia godfathers? Are they to be considered as an exception or have they also evolved through the years like any other father figure? This dissertation will try to analyze the godfather figure (in particular the Italian-American one) by considering some famous padrini of the literary, movie, and TV world. I will consider The Godfather by Mario Puzo, lingering in particular in the characters of Vito and Michael Corleone in both the picture and the novel. At the same time, I will compare them to the one who has become one of the most praised contemporary fictional godfathers: Tony Soprano. I chose these mafiosi not only because of their celebrity, but also because I can compare the old mafia to the new. I will start by tracing a short story of Italian mafia in the United States, and by lingering on the meaning of the word “godfather”. These characters will be debated through the relationship they have with their Family and their traditional family, their children and not less important with the women of the family, in particular their mothers and wives. I will also analyze if their families – as Italian Americans – have evolved like other families in literature or reality.