To reflect the harshness of the mafia, Puzo's word choice is often curt and blunt, fully intending to shock, horrify, and/or mortify the reader: "One rash man, an arrogant Milanese with more faith in the police than a saint has in Christ, actually went to the authorities with a complaint against his fellow Italians, breaking the ten-century law of omerta (p. 213)." By choosing to identify the rash man as "Milanese", it sets him apart from the onlooking Sicilians who are obviously upset with him in this passage. It is also most unusual for the Italians at this time to have much trust in authorities given the wide-spread influence of the mafia, and for those who defy the mafia, they are seen as lawbreakers themselves.
Throughout The Godfather, Michael keeps many secrets about The Family from Kay, often downplaying their bloody actions. When Michael finally answers Kay as to when he will talk to her about The Family and his own crimes, Puzo chooses to make Michael's voice gentler, but still manages to make the reader's and Kay's heart heavy in his answer, as Michael pays tribute to his father and mother: "... 'But that doesn't mean he (the Don) tells her everything. And, you know, he has a reason to trust her. Not because they got married and she's his wife. But she bore him four children in ties when it was not safe to bear children. She nursed and guarded him when people shot him. She believed in him. He was always her first loyalty for forty years. After you do that maybe I'll tell you a few things you really didn't want to hear' (p. 365)."
You raise a great point here. I also noticed that throughout the novel, Puzo never sugar-coats anything and states each vivid violent scene as blatantly as possible. I also like how you pointed out when Puzo refers to the man as Milanese, he is raising awareness to the fact that he is different from the Corleone family. Throughout the novel, it is apparent that Puzo enjoys employing violence; however when he reveals a gentler choice of diction, it creates a change of pace for the novel when Michael is paying tribute to his mother and father.
ReplyDelete