The Godfather novel by Mario Puzo is one of my favorite books. As Tom Hanks, portraying Joe Fox in You've Got Mail, would say, "The Godfather answers all of life's questions. What should I pack for my summer vacation? 'Leave the gun, take the cannoli.'" But that is not the only life lesson from that book. One of my favorite lines from the novel, which you also find in the film, is one about family. Don Corleone is having to listen to his godson, Johnny Fontane, whining about his singing voice, and the Don finally snaps and chides him. He then asks, "Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man. " Those are words that I live by. True, I don't live them just because Don Corleone says so. Actually, my father was a good model of making sure he spent time with his family and cared for his children (and as far as I know, my dad was not a mobster). To be perfectly honest, I have no respect for a man who abandons his children. I don't care what the excuse is: if you are man enough to get a woman pregnant, you better be man enough to take care of your children. Pure and simple. I am not saying you have to get married; I understand relationships often don't work and going separate ways may be best for all involved, but you better be providing for your kids and spending time with them. But I am digressing.
Part of the reason I find myself posting this quiz this week is that I am in the middle of reading another Puzo book, The Sicilian. While not as good as The Godfather (hard to top that one no matter what you do. Kind of like Garcia Marquez after One Hundred Years of Solitude. Sure, he has written some good things since then, but that is his masterpiece against which all else is measured), it is still a pretty good read so far. Thus, it seemed appropriate that I came along this little quiz. To be honest, I am not sure I could see myself as the great Don Vito, who is extremely patient when he needs to be, unlike his eldest, Sonny, who had a fiery temper. Don Vito has that silent strength. He won't snap at you. He will simply wait and then let you have it, so to speak in a subtle yet deadly way. On the other hand, and you see this more in the book, and in those flashback sequences in the second film, Don Vito rises to power in a ruthless but reluctant way. He saw an injustice and did something about it, thus earning the position, and gradually rising in power. Kind of like having leadership thrusted upon you. And in some ways, my job these days feels a bit like that, having leadership thrusted upon me, but that is another story. And then there is the value of friendship, which proves the old saying, "it's not so much what you know, it's who you know." There is a reason Don Corleone has all those politicians in his pocket like so many nickels and dimes, as Sollozo points out. Right now, I am just working on putting some people in my pocket, if you catch my drift.
Anyhow, go try it out yourself. As long as you don't get Fredo as your result, you should be ok.
Your Score: Don Vito
You scored 90%!
I kiss your ring, Don Vito!
You are ruthless, cunning and diplomatic all at the same time. You understand the value of friendship and the importance of patience and timing in the execution of all the family's many business interests. Strong families need strong leaders.
Cent'anni!
| Link: The What Godfather Character Are You Test written by Searun on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
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