https://youtube/watch?v=nQcgD5DpVlQ The Godfather is a novel about loyalty to family above all else and organized crime, otherwise known as the Italian mafia, headed by Don Vito Corleone the Godfather. The theorist I will be applying to the novel is Edwin Sutherland and his theory of differential association, which comes from the branch of symbolic interactionism. As Sutherland states, in his theory, association with a group who favors deviance leads to a higher inclination towards deviant behavior. Don Vito Corleone and his children are a perfect example of this theory. For social deviations are learned the same way social norms are learned, through social interactions and observations. We first learn how to behave from our primary caregivers, and if they do not oppose deviance there is a high likelihood that we will not oppose it as well. The Corleone family is composed of Don Vito aka the godfather whom is feared and respected by his family as well as his associates. His four children, Santino aka Sonny Corleone, know for his quick temper and protective side to those he loves which leads to his sudden death. Fredo Corleone, whom has the best intentions but isn’t too bright and psychologically fragile. Connie Corleone, she never seems to make the smartest decisions and she always seems to get the worst end of the deal. When Carlo’s, her husband, is implicated in the murder of Sonny he’s killed without her even knowing until it’s to late. Though she always had a feeling that the family blamed him, just not exactly why. Michael aka Mike Corleone, his father’s favorite and intended heir of the Corleone empire. Michael is definitely the main character in the novel; we see the most significant change in his personality. For at the start of the novel when speaking of his family to Kay, his future wife, about the families way of handling business, “ But that’s my family, not me”. We’ll discuss Mike’s drastic change in personality in further detail later on. Kay Addams, Michael’s girlfriend and future wife, is another important part of the novel. Her love for Mike seems to know no bounds at first, even when he leaves without even a goodbye she still waits for him. She seems almost to be Michael’s conscience; trying to bring him back to the man he once was when he starts his descent towards deviance and eventual role change to the godfather. When she finally sees no hope for his return to who he once was she prays for his soul, like his mother prayed for his fathers. Tom Hagen, the family lawyer and Consigliere to the Don, adopted by the Corleone’s as a child. As repayment for this kindness extended by the family, he devotes his life and law practice solely to the Corleone’s, which are his only clients. Hagen is the only child who follows the advice, or carefully worded expectations of the Don: “ Don’t you want to finish school, don’t you want to be a lawyer? Lawyers can steal more money with a briefcase than a thousand men with guns and masks”. (Mario Puzo, The Godfather, 1969 Fawcett Crest Books, pg221). The Corleone family relate to each other much the same way any dysfunctional family unit do. They’re there for each other in times of crises; they were taught from an early age that loyalty to the family is valued above all else no matter what. As well they’re taught to never trust anyone outside the family. This can be demonstrated when the Don tells Sonny, “ Santino, never let anyone outside the family know what you’re thinking. Never let them know what you have underneath your fingernails.” (Mario Puzo, pg86) The theory of differential association was created by Sutherland to dispute past theories of deviance being innate, which had come to light through Lombroso and others. Instead Sutherland sees deviance as stemming from those we associate with most and whom are most important to us. Sutherland theory of differential association has nine key points, which may lead to the individual taking on a deviant personality. I would like to demonstrate how Michael’s change in personality from not identifying with his families values to his sudden change in views could possibly be explained through differential association. 1. Criminal behavior is learned. Behavior is influenced and shaped by those we associate with and our primary reference group. The nuclear family, (family group, those we live and grow up with), formulate our understanding of norms and values. Michael’s primary reference group were involved in organized crime, growing up he was surrounded by criminals and hit men. As much as he wanted to move away from that type of lifestyle and way of thinking when push came to shove he didn’t have to be pushed to hard into volunteering to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey or to think to hard to formulate a plan on how to kill them. It seemed almost like second nature to him. (Mario Puzo, pg. 161-164) 2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with others, in a process of communication. From the moment were born we begin to be conditioned to the norms of society. We learn gender roles through observation of our parents. Through social interaction and observation we learn how to behave. In the same fashion criminals teach each other, both directly and indirectly, deviant behavior. This is done through a process of symbols and behaviors, values, traditions, even gestures. As differential association argues, criminal behavior is more prevalent in those who associate with others who have criminal mind sets. For the Corleone children growing up in a family as well as coming from a culture that values vengeance and criminal behavior to solve life’s problems, its no wonder it was instilled in them to there very core. When Michael agrees to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey Sonny keeps trying to caution, as well as remind him of what not to do so he won’t get caught or even worse killed. Sonny: “ Ok but you’re still a rookie so I spell things out. Forget it.” Mike: “ what the hell do you mean rookie? I listened to the old man just as hard as you did. How do you think I got smart? “ (Mario Puzo, pg166) 3.The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups i.e within primary groups. Any knowledge we attain and then incorporate into our schema of the world first begins in our primary group. Any other assimilation after the schema has been formulated reinforces and adds on to what has already previously been learned. Michaels father, the Don, always planned on him taking his place. This is why he tried to groom him from childhood in his ways of doing business and seeing the world. As much as Michael tried to move away from it and change his schema of how he saw and interacted with the world it was still always a part of him. Family loyalty and respect above all else, still remained of value to him even after he’d moved on to another socializing agency of the military his primary socializing agent still remained in his value system above all else. After his father is shot you can see the conflict in Michael at first he wants only to pay respect to his father by going to visit him slowly though he starts to feel himself getting enmeshed back into the family. He’s torn between his love for his father, his duty to his family, and his conscious at being in the same room as Sonny makes a list for all the people he’s planning to kill. He doesn’t want to get re involved in the family and feels guilty for feeling this way. A change can be seen as he thinks to himself about his role that he’s now playing in the family. Mike: What Michael wanted was out, out of all of this, to lead his own life. But he couldn’t cut loose from the family until the crises was over. He had to help in a civilian capacity. With sudden clarity he realized that he was annoyed with the role assigned to him, that of the privileged noncombatant, the excused conscientious objector. That was why the word “civilian” kept popping into his skull in such an irritating way. (Mario Puzo, pg 145) 4. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple; (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes. Through the process of communication criminal behavior is learned and the rationalizations, or excuses, for such behavior are then rationalized in the group setting as they interact. Having a criminal, or criminals, in your primary reference group doesn’t mean you will partake in deviant behavior. What it does mean though, is you have a reference to criminal rational. No one is inherently deviant, but through their reference to someone with a criminal rational, they may learn to rationalize this way. This can be seen in the conversation between Sonny, Hagen and Michael as they plan the murder of police captain McClusky and Sollozzo. Sonny: “Yeah kid, what about that though police captain?” Mike: “ Ok its an extreme. But there are times when the most extreme measures are justified. Lets think now that we have to kill McCluskey. The way to do it …” (Mario Puzo, pg 161-166) 5. The specific direction of the motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable. “ In some societies an individual is surrounded by persons who invariably define the legal code as rules to be observed, while in others he is surrounded by persons whose definitions are favorable to the violation of legal codes. In our American society these definitions are almost always mixed and consequently we have a culture conflict in relation to the legal codes.” (The Criminology of Edwin Sutherland, Mark S. Gaylord and John F. Galliher). This new view of the law and society can be seen in its integration in Michael when Dr. Taza explains how the mafia came to be. “ Michael Corleone understood for the first time why men like his father chose to become thieves and murders rather then members of legal society. The poverty and fear and degradation were too awful to be acceptable to a man of spirit. And in America some emigrating Sicilians had assumed there would be an equally cruel authority.” (Mario Puzo, pg 412-413) 6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law. This is the main point in the theory of differential association. Interacting more with those that favor deviance over the social norm of respecting the law. By spending more time with those that favor breaking the law the person begins to think that way due to the lack of social contacts with those that disagree with this newfound perspective they’re developing. Or if they grow up in this environment, of those favoring deviance they are in complete isolation of learning any other way of thinking. One cannot favor adhering to the law if they’ve never observed such behavior. “ Any person inevitably assimilates the surrounding culture unless other patterns are in conflict.”(Principals of criminology, pg 89). This rings true not only for Michael, but also for all the Corleone children. They grew up in a community that favors deviance, they live in their own gated community know as “the mall” surrounded only by their own kind away from the prying eyes of those that would disprove of their deviant behavior, and pretty much only associate with those that have the same deviant perspective as them. At the start of the book when Connie’s wedding guests are being described, they’re so high profile criminally that the FBI is watching to see whose arriving. Most normal weddings don’t have FBI attendance and guests coming in unmarked cars to avoid arrest or incrimination. 7. Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity. What Sutherland means by this, is the more time spent with those that favor a deviant perspective the more likely the individual associating with said individuals will begin to as well. By priority and intensity, he’s referring to how close of a relationship the individual has with the criminal, at what age the contact began, and the extent to which the criminal is respected by others. For Michael from birth he was enmeshed in a sea of deviance and spent his primary socializing years surrounded by those whom favored deviance. His father was the godfather a man very well respected and feared by the community, politicians and officers of the law. One of his father’s most famous lines is, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”(Mario Puzo), and no one ever does refuse his father. What better way to learn to favor deviance when most signs point to a life of consistently getting your way. As well as Sutherland wrote “intensity is not precisely defined but it has to do with such things as the prestige of the source of a criminal or anti-criminal pattern and with emotional reactions related to the associations”(The Criminology of Edwin Sutherland,1988). For Michael later on in life the relationship he had with his father was obviously an emotional one. When his father was shot he defined the situation the way he was taught to from childhood, and the way those around him were defining the situation, that it was time to take vengeance into your own hands and protect the family. 8. The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning. This was written to refute what critics were saying that Sutherlands theory was chalking up learned deviance to the simple process of learning it through imitation. Which deviance is learned through, as well as all the other mechanisms that learning uses as well. I feel what Sutherland is trying to say here is that we don’t just imitate deviant behavior, but thorough the process of observing others around us whom are practicing deviant behavior when we enter into similar situations, as the one we observed the deviant behavior in, through association of past observance we then apply those same strategies. Look at how easily mike changed from a law-abiding citizen into becoming the don and taking over his fathers place. Even after spending years away from his family, it was still second nature the associations still deeply ingrained in his sense of self. 9. While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values, since noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values. Meaning everyone has the same basic needs and values, its how you choose to maintain those needs and values that makes the difference. I feel that this boils down to personality factors as well as basic values. For some stealing to feed your family is perfectly justifiable whereas for another this would be unthinkable. Having the personality type that feels like everything is owed to you and should come easy would justify stealing or killing another if that person is in your way of what you want, this could be attributed to an external locus of control. Someone who has an internal locus of control would not justify such actions. The group that surrounds you as well can have an affect if they as well choose to maintain their needs through criminal action. Vito at first tried to maintain his families needs the honorable respectable way but when he lost his job because of Fanucci he chose to follow how his friends were maintaining their needs and so ensued his legacy of criminality which he then passed on to Michael. In conclusion the change in Michaels sense of self was drastic. The novel began with him sitting separately from his family at Connie’s wedding to show his distance from them, lack of support for the way they handle business and lead their lives. This can be seen as he’s describing to Kay how his father helped procure Johnny Fontanes contract saying to Kay, “but that’s my family not me”. The start in his change of self begins after his father gets shot and left with no protection while at the hospital, because his enemies have paid off the police. While trying to protect him he gets brutally beaten by McClusky, for no reason at all and so, the change in self really begins. He chooses to kill Sollozzo and McClusky, and knows full well, in doing so he’ll become a wanted criminal, have to move to another country, and leave the women he once planned to marry. While he’s in Italy he learns of how the mafia began and why his father and ancestors chose the path in life they’ve taken. What shows the change in self is how he says he understands why, a statement he previously never would’ve made. The change in self from Michael to Don is apparent when he says to Don Tammasino, “ Tell my father to get me home, tell my father I wish to be his son.” (Mario Puzo, pg 448). His change in self and world views continues which can be demonstrated in his conversation with Kay,(pg458-463). “ I can’t tell you about anything that happened. I’m working for my father now. I’m being trained to take over the family olive oil business. …. You’ll be my wife but not my partner in life… not an equal partner that cant be.” (Mario Puzo, pg458). The old Michael never would’ve spoken like this to Kay, but the new changed one knows, as he talks to his conscious, Kay that she’d never accept the things he’s done or will do in the future, he wouldn’t find it necessary to say if he wasn’t planning on doing things that he knows she, or others, wouldn’t approve of. The change from mike to Don can further be seen as we begin to see him incorporate Vito’s speech patterns into his own, “Michael said quietly, “ I’ll make him an offer he cant refuse.” The words were said in an ordinary voice yet the effect was chilling, perhaps because it was a favorite expression of the Don’s.”(Mario Puzo, pg 488). His transformation to Don is complete after he plays the role of godfather to Connie and Carlo’s baby and then kills Carlo, his brother in law, informing him, “ you have to answer for Santino”(Mario Puzo, pg 552), he’s aware of how much this will hurt his sister and her children. When Connie confronts Michael in front of Kay he lies to them both and belittles his sister’s grief calling her hysterical and having the guards escort her out of his office, (pg556). Kay confronts him and he denies it, much to her relief, until this scene plays out that shows Michaels complete transformation of self: “ Don Michael, Kay could see Michael stood to receive their homage. He reminded her of statues in Rome of emperors, who by divine right, held the power of life and death over their fellow men. One hand on his hip, the profile of his face showed a cold proud power, his body was carelessly, arrogantly at ease, weight resting on one foot slightly behind the other. The caporegimes stood before him. In that moment Kay knew that everything Connie had accused Michael of was true. She went back to the kitchen and wept.” (Mario Puzo, pg557) References: Sutherland, Edwin. Hardin, Cressey, Donald. Ray. Luckenbill, David. F (1992) Principals of criminology: Rowman & Littlefield Galliher, Jhon. F, Gaylord, Mark. S (1988) The criminology of Edwin Sutherland: Transaction Publishers Puzo, Mario. (1969) The Godfather: Fawcett Crest Books
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 23:14:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015