Buttmunker

For those of you who have read the novel, have seen the films, or both enough times to be confident enough to answer this theoretical question:

Would Santino "Sonny" Corleone have acted the same way towards his brother Fredo as Michael had? If yes, why? If not, give your reasons.

Goat3001

Weird! I was talking to my English teacher and she was reading the book and she asked me the same question

You wouldnt happen to be the same person would you?

Goat3001

Oh yeah, I responded with a "I don't know", I think I'm gonna have to go back and watch the movies again and focus on Sonny's charactor.

Amadeus

Sonny was a real hot head,but Michael was one of those silent types.The silent types are always more dangerous.But if you ask me i honestly don't know.I mean maybe Sonny would have gone crazy and blown Fredo to pieces,or he would have forgiven him and gone on with his life.Too hard of a question i can't answer this.

Souljahh

I don't think he would have. To be sure, he would have kicked his ass bad but he wouldn't have killed him.

Michael took the idea of the family too far. He treated the family unit as the end all be all of things and he was willing to do anything to maintain the family as a whole, even if it meant doing harm to individual members of the family. Just a gut feeling but I don't think Sonny saw things that way.

wendersfan

Careful: There be spoilers!
(I don't feel I really need to point this out, but...)

I don't know if the question is valid or not. Michael killed Fredo because Fredo sold Michael out. Fredo sold Michael out because Michael marginalized Fredo wrt the family and its businesses. Michael did this because his approach was a cold and pragmatic one - effective, but not very human. Sonny was nothing if not human. I doubt if, had Sonny stayed head of the family, Fredo would have been put into a position where he would have sold out his brother. So I guess my answer is NO...

Souljahh

wenders: Are you sure about that? It seems to me that Fredo would be in a "marginalized" position regardless of who the head of the family was. Vito knew he was weak, Michael knew he was weak, and I'm sure Sonny knew it as well.

Jepthah

No way. And the reason it wouldn't have happened is because Sonny would have (unwisely) worked Fredo in someplace with more authority.

The one thing Sonny didn't have was business sense. Michael was the thinker, the schemer, and the planner.

wendersfan

Actually, I am. I'm not saying that Sonny wouldn't also have marginalized Fredo, but I think he would have done it in a way that would have allowed Fredo to keep his dignity. Basically, Michael said "Fredo, you're weak and I'm strong. Therefore, I'll run everything, and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the fact you'll never have to worry about money, or trouble with the law, ever. But, as a price, you have to give me your dignity and self-respect." And eventually it got to be too much to Fredo, and he cracked. I think that Sonny, being a more "human" person, would have seen what was happening to his brother, and allowed him his dignity in some way.

Souljahh

Interesting point.

bothanspy

Another thing to consider:

If sonny were head of the family, then he would be rightfully so as the eldest son. Fredo would just be next in line, and therefore his role would not be marginalized nor would he feel slighted because his older brother is rightfully head of the family.

Another point is that if Sonny is head of the family, Michael's role after the killing of Solozzo would have remained non-criminal. After Vito recovered and either took beck control of the family, or settled into the role as consigliari for Sonny, Michael would not have been allowed to have a criminal role in the family as his father "never wanted it for him."

SPY

THORN

the answer is ..... sonny would not have had to kill fredo..... fredo wouldnt have betrayed sonny ....

Michael killed fredo for betraying him .... the cold hearted side of business ..... with michael it was always business first..... never personal

sonny ....everything was personal ..... he would have given fredo a bigger part in the business and they would have been runover by a rival family and they would all be dead sonny had no head for business nor strategy

sherm42

I have to somewhat disagree here.

"You broke my heart Fredo."

I think that Michael took Fredo's betrayal very personally and that's why he was simply unable to forgive him. Business wise, he could have just banished him from ever being involved in the business again, but he had him killed because it was personal to him.

Jericho

Although Sonny was a hot-head, I also think he was a strong family guy. And I just can't imagine Sonny killing a member of his family.

I agree that Michael was more cut-throat and cold hearted. He got results, but it wasn't always the nicest way of doing things, even for his own family.

wendersfan

Doh! Of course! This trumps everything else. What did Fredo say to Michael, "You're my kid brother, and you look after me?"

I may have the quote a little wrong, but the answer's there. Thanks, bothanspy...

weargle

But do you really think that Sonny truly forgave Fredo for letting his father get shot? Perhaps Michael also resented Fredo somewhat for "forcing" him to get involved in the family business, and therefore marginalized him. (Well, for that and his gross incompetence)

Buttmunker

That's not fair. There wasn't anything Fredo could have done to save his father from being shot. It just happened. That traitor - Paulie - even if he had been on the up-and-up, he couldn't have done anything either. He was just the driver, after all.