Blog Topic #3: Syntax

• "If the Families had been running the State Department there would never have been World War II he thought with a grin (p. 146)." 
• World War II was a terrible, blood-soaked event in history. To enlighten the audience as to the sheer terrifying power of the Italian Mafia, he states that if the "Families" or those who were part of the mafia, were running the State Department, that the entire crisis of WWII would have been averted. This extreme hypothetical situation is intended to scare the reader, to make them wonder to what the exact magnitude of the mafia's power truly is- or if there is a limit at all.
• "Michael laughed. He went out the kitchen entrance and the smell of lemon blossoms penetrated his sinus-filled nose. He saw Apollonia wave to him from the car just ten paces up the villa's driveway and then he realized she was motioning him to stay where he was, that she meant to drive the car to where he stood. Calo stood grinning beside the car, his lupara (shotgun) dangling in his hand. But there was still no sign of Fabrizzio. At that movement, without any conscious reasoning prcoess , everything came together in his mind, and Michael shouted to the girl, 'No! No!' But his shout was drowned in the roar of the tremendous explosion as Apollonia switched on the ignition (p. 352)."
•  A well-placed volta by Puzo in this quote serves to not only describe the suddenness of the car bomb, but to symbolize Michael's fleeting love. By giving vivid detail as to the lemon blossoms and seeing Apollonia walking out to the car, Puzo distracts the reader, making them think it is another lovely day in Sicily for Michael and his new wife. However, this nice, quiet moment is shattered like the car as Apollonia started the ignition, thus startling the reader. This moment reflects the short-lived loves in Michael's life. He wanted to marry Kay, but as soon as he went in hiding in Sicily, he fell in love and married another woman, only to have her die. When he sees the car explodes, Michael begins to value the lives of women much more, returning back to the US, to Kay, to marry her as he promised.
• "With a a great effort the Don opened his eyes to see his son once more. The massive heart attack had turned his ruddy face almost blue. He was in extremis. He smelled the garden, the yellow sheild of light smote his eyes and he whispered, 'Life is so beautiful.' He was spared the sight of his women's tear's dying before they came back from church, dying before the ambulance arrived or the doctor. He died surrounded by men, holding the hand of the son he had most loved (p. 408)."
•  The death of Don Vito Corleone was not what a fitting death for a mafia boss, nor was it intended to be. Puzo allows the Don to die not of bullets, but by a heart attack in the garden to make him more human and to remind the reader that not even Don Corleone is immortal. Still, the reader is saddened by his death, that even the "yellow sheild of light" could or would not protect him from his demise. Vito's last words are "Life is so beautiful"- though seemingly ironic given that he has killed many times, Puzo's intention behind this irony is to show that the Don does love the life that his family leads and is not ashamed of them in the least. This is reaffirmed in the act of his holding his last remaining son, Michael's hand.
•  "She emptied her mind of all thought of herself, of her children, of all anger, of all rebellion, of all questions. Then with a profound and deeply willed desire to believe, to be heard as she had done every day since the murder of Carlo Rizzi, she said the necessary prayers for the soul of Michael Corleone (p. 466)."
• The last example of Puzo's elegant syntax comes from the very last paragraph of The Godfather. As Kay is learning to be a Catholic, she is, for the first time in the book, calm. Finally, she accepts the world of the mafia she is now married to, kneels down, submits herself, and prays for the salvation of her husband, Michael. The purpose of this scene was to show the transformation of Kay from a panicked young woman to a mature wife. Moreover, the scene serves to inform the reader that though Michael may be a good man and husband, he has done some unspeakable things, and is therefore, a sinner.