[QUOTE]Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
[qb] Dontomasso - While I think you have picked an interesting topic, and one that has not been discussed at great length before, I do not agree with some of your points.

I don't think that when Sonny brought Tom home, he created friction within the family.

Not initially, SB, but over the years I think Tom drew close to the Don as the Don realized that Tom had a good mind, and that Sonny had a bad temper. I think both Sonny and Mike would have sensed this.


I think that the Corleone's welcomed Tom. Also, although the book discusses this at greater length, it was not uncharacteristic of Sonny to be kind, despite his bad temper.


Also, Michael's repsonse to Tom about the discussions Tom has had with Vito about Michael's future is not characterized by jealousy, IMO. I believe he's resentful of the invasion of his privacy, as he is obviously trying to distance himself from the Family.

IMO Mike is looking at Tom who is siding with Sonny over enlisting in the Marines. Tom informs Mike that the Don went to great lengths to get him a deferrment and Mike says "I never asked for it," then Tom says he and the Don had discusssed Mike's future many times to which Mike says YOU talk about MY future with MY FATHER? To me that is resentment.

Also, at Connie's wedding, I believe the "real man" remark was aimed at Sonny, not Tom, as you stated. It was Vito's way of expressing displeasure at Sonny's dalliance with Lucy.

You are correct. I misspoke. I meant to say it is directed at Sonny. The point I was trying to make it that it is Tom who helps the Don with granting all the favors on the wedding day, and he has to get Tom to find Sonny and get him with the program.

I'm not sure how Sonny's remark to Tom about Genco established hostility between Fredo and Michael. I think that Sonny said it out of bad temper and because he was angry at Tom for missing the signs about Paulie's betrayal.

Oh, I did not say it relates to it, but instead it foreshadows it in the sense that maybe Tom felt unprepared to go to war and than maybe he was feeling a little "passed over" same as Fredo would later feel.

Also, I don't believe that Tom ever felt superior to his adopted family. I believe the opposite was true. I think he loved them and craved their acceptance, which is why he seems so moved when Michael calls him a brother in GF2.

Oh definitely, you are absoluitely right that Tom craves acceptance and wants to be treated especially by Mike as a "real brother," and I think Mike cruelly takes advantage of this.

I think that when Michael announces that he will kill Sollozzo and McCluskey, Tom shakes his head out of sadness, not because he thinks of those in the room as morons. I believe that he is very sad that circumstances have brought Michael to this point. I think he wanted Michael to go "legit", and this was putting an end to all that.

Respectfully disagree. Tom had just finished arguing with Sonny and had at least convinced him he might make some kind of deal. It is when Sonny wavers a bit that Mike says there can be no deal and that the "key" for Sollozzo is to "kill pop." Then he says he will kill Sollozo and McCluskey. The reactions of everyone in the room except Tom is they make fun of Mike. Clemenza and Tessio are howling and Sonny gives the famous "brains all over your Ivy league suit speech." It is only after Mike explains that they can use people in the newspapers to put out the story that McCloskey is a crooked cop that anyone really takes him seriously, ao IMO Tom's first reaction is that what Mike says is not funny, but just some half baked idea.


SB for some reason my reply to your points is in this quote. As for the posting immediately after yours, well, I think some people are just trying to get numbers on the board.