HI. Can somebody please help me on this paper I'm writing about the Godfather novel? I can only write one page and I need more information. The question is :Compare Sonny and Michael Corleone and how their father (Don Corleone) sees them.

If you're reading the novel, check the scene where the Don is giving his sermon to Bonasera. Sonny's not paying attention. The Don notes this, and fears for the family's future. He knows that he's not going to live forever, and it looks to him like Sonny isn't learning how to be a Don. On the other hand, the Don neither expects nor wants Michael to be his successor, at least not before Michael killed Sollozzo and McCluskey. He wants him to be a governor, a senator, a pezzanovante. But there's a hint of things to come. Check the scene where Paulie and Clemenza drive Kay back to her hotel after Connie's wedding. Clemenza says something about how the family has high hopes for Michael. Later, after Michael becomes the boss, the Don tells Hagen, "I never thought you a bad consigliere, I thought Santino was a bad Don."

yes, also Sonny slipped at Sollozzo's meeting, causing the whole conflict of the novel! Micheal didn't slip during his meetings.

Sonny was angry, Micheal was calm.
Sonny was Violent, Mike was smart.

Thnx guys, but Ricardo, wat do u mean by Michael and Sonny slipping at the meetings?

Sorry to jump in Ricardo, but I couldn't leave this unanswered, my apologies. The Meeting Sonny, Tom and their father (Vito) have with the Turk (Sollozo), the drug Baron. During the meeting, after Vito had told Sollozo that he wasn't interested in his drugs business, Sonny jumped in and made a query which showed that he was interested, when instead he should have kept his mouth shut and agreed, at least in public, with his father, because he now showed that there was a separation in the family. (which is why they tried to kill off Vito because the figured that Sonny would be the new Don and take up on their deal.) And contrast to this, you never see Michael make a mistake at any of his "business" meetings. He never talks when he shouldn't and when he should talk he does, but in a reserved and contained manner.

Forgive me for jumping into a "novel" discussion, but another striking indication of this similarity between Michael & Vito (seen in the film) is in Vegas, when Michael says to Fredo, "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever."

Michael was not present at the Solozzo meeting, and never heard Vito reprimand Sonny in a similar way for speaking out. He knew by instinct how to conduct himself, how to run the business. Sonny did not, and probably could never have been taught, had he lived.

Oh i see, thnx...the information was very helpful.

Can someone tell me who was more successful in succeeding the throne and why??

u gotta do a little work yourself buddy but were all friends here so ill give you some info. This is purely opinion but i would think michael was more succesful because he was more intelligent he didnt have the muscle sonny had or the fear but he didnt have the blind rage either wich helped.

Seems to me that Sonny knew his limitations. In the novel, after Sonny makes his mistake at the Sollozzo meeting, Hagen is horrified. He thinks he will never play consigliere to Sonny's Don. After the Don is shot, Sonny flushes when he admits to Michael that he "shot his mouth off" at the meeting, and all but blurts out responsibility for the Don's shooting. Sonny also tells Hagen that he knows he's not the man the Don is, but when it comes to warfare, he's as good as anybody.

I wonder who was more succesful, the one who died after 6 months, or the one who survived as Don for 20+years, and was billionaire by the 80's. Hmm, answered that question.

How the hell did Michael Corleone become a billionnaire? I doesn't seem plausible to me. They never tell how much he was worth.