Culture/Subculture Demonstrated
The culture that is demonstrated in The Godfather, is that of the Italian American. This movie is about the Corleone's, a New York City crime family, and their rise to power within the Mafiia. Granted, not every Italian American is in the mob, but this Italian Family was heavily involved in organized crime. Outside of the brutal murders and scams, the Corleone family displayed the normal subculture for Italian Americans at this time. They had very strong family values. They always made their family a top priority. This was typical of italian families at the time. In addition to this, they followed respective social norms such as kissing each other on the cheek as a greeting, and smoking cigars. Cigars are seen as a symbol of power and wealth, as the leader of the Corleone crime family, Vito Corleone, is rarely caught without one. Each member of the family also speaks with a strong Italian American accent.
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Agents of SocializationThe characters in the movie have been rounded by the Agents of Socialization. They learned the elements of their culture mainly through the agents of family and peers. Media and school didn't really play a role since this movie took place in the 1940s, and media and school didn't play a huge role in the characters lives. They learned the violent ways of the mob member simply by watching their family and peers. They were born into a world where almost everyone they knew made their living through organized crime, so it wasn't too difficult for them to follow the same path. Michael Corleone, who would become the leader of the crime family, learned almost everything from his father Vito, who taught him how to be a man, and run the mob. He learned how to work with others through his peers, who taught him social norms and tendencies.
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Social StructureOne important character in the film is Vito Corleone, the head of the crime family. Vito has an Ascribed status of a son, father, and brother (since these are things he was born into). He has an Achieved status of Mob Boss, because this is something that he had to work for. It wasn't easy for an immigrant from Italy to gain so much money and power. A status symbol for Vito could be a cigar, or one of the nice suits that he often wears. These symbols display wealth and power. Finally, a role conflict he has could be making sure his sons and daughters are safe, while he tries to keep the integrity and power as a mob boss.
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