Symbolism- Trains

During the scene of when Michael Corleone looks for the gun that was hidden behind the toilet, the sound of a train passing is present. It starts off soft, however once he reaches for the gun, the sound slowly crescendos. The sound slowly decrescendos when he leaves the bathroom, and slowly headed towards the table with Sollozzo and McCluskey. The sound of the train revisits the scene when Sollozzo starts to speak to Michael, right before Michael decides to shoot Sollozzo and McCluskey. 

The sound of a train is representing the one way path Michael is taking if he decides to shoot both McCluskey and Sollozzo. If Michael kills them, he is moving from a place to another place like a train, however in this particular scene, from not being apart of the Mafia, to being apart of the Mafia. 

Michael’s order was to come out of the bathroom and start shooting McCluskey and Sollozzo right away. However, Michael goes to sit down back at the table. It seems he is thinking about whether he is going through with joining the Mafia or not. I agree with Alison’s idea of the train symbolizing Michael’s heartbeat. When he was looking for the gun and right before he shot Sollozzo and McCluskey, his heartbeat is getting faster and stronger, and right before he shoots them, his heartbeat is faster and stronger again.

Oranges- The Godfather

              In The Godfather, both the color orange, and the fruit have been appearing in many scenes. The color orange and the fruit are foreshadowing a death: There was one scene with Jack Woltz and a bowl of oranges. A couple scenes later, Jack Woltz wakes up with his dead horse’s head by his legs. Another example of the oranges foreshadowing in The Godfather is the scene where Don Vito Corleone was shot 5 times. That same scene, Don Vito Corleone bought some oranges. Third example of oranges foreshadowing death is near the beginning of the movie. Paulie Gatta gives oranges to Clemenza in a juice. Scenes later, Paulie was killed in a car. 

              Mr. McGuigan has said “twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern”. There are three situations above showing the fruit oranges or the color foreshadows death, making it a pattern. 

             Why did Francis Ford Coppola choose oranges to foreshadow death? The oranges that foreshadow death in The Godfather resemble sanguinello oranges. These types of oranges are considered “blood oranges” because the color on the inside of the orange is a dark red. 

              The fruit and the color orange have showed up many times so far during this movie, making me believe there may be more appearing of these oranges which will foreshadow more death. 

The Scarlet Woman

In The Godfather, in many scenes, Kay Adams wears a scarlet colored dress or clothing. Because she has worn this color more than two times, it makes it a pattern rather than a coincidence. Because of this pattern, it gives me an idea that Kay Adams is the Scarlet Woman in The Godfather. 

There are many different definitions of The Scarlet Woman: There is the definition of a prostitute, a saint, someone with bad morals, or a seducer who harms the protagonist. We are unaware at this point of the movie that she will harm the protagonist, Michael Corleone, however we do know they have a somewhat close relationship when Michael does not have to deal with the family business. As the movie progresses, us, the audience, will be able to identify whether Kay Adams is the scarlet woman or not. 

Characterization of Michael Corleone + The Hero's Journey

In The Godfather, Michael Corleone so far follows The Hero’s Journey. The first step in The Hero’s Journey is Stage 1, the departure. In Stage 1, “the hero is called to adventure, although he is reluctant to accept”. In the beginning The Godfather, Michael is talking to Kay Adams about the family business, where he says “That’s my family Kay, that’s not me”. His intention was not to be involved with the family business, however once his father was shot, he starts to get involved with “Stage 2: Initiation: The hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective”. 

Michael Corleone is a very confident man, especially when he is talking to Sonny on the phone in the hospital letting Sonny know that no one is in the hospital. Michael tells Sonny “I won’t panic”. The scene where Michael and the baker, Enzo, are standing outside the hospital, Enzo is really scared and nervous, which is showed through his shaking hands when he tries to light his cigaret. However Michael is calm, and shows through lighting Enzo’s cigaret for him. 

The scene in the hospital with Don Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone, Michael kisses his father’s hand and says “I’m with you now”. The kiss symbolizes Michael giving his father his loyalty in the mafia business. 

The next stage for Michael is “Stage 3: The Road of Trials: The hero is given a supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance”. The test of strength and endurance is next when Michael plans to shoot Clemenza and McCluskey.