Comparison of the Characters Michael Sonny in “The Godfather ” At a first glance Michael and Sonny appear to be quite different. Upon further observation, however, they do have some similarities. Although they are very different in their personality, values, and tempers, they are similar in areas of loyalty, their respect for their father, and their strong family ties. Their personalities are a study in contrasts. Sonny is brash and arrogant, where as Michael is calm and cool. When Don Corleone was in the hospital and Sonny was placed in charge, the family became kind of careless.
He didn’t seem to care what could happen due to his actions. He wanted to kill the police captain and didn’t think about the repercussions. Tom has to tell him that it wouldn’t be good to kill a cop, but they end up doing it anyway. I think Michael was pushed into it because of his loyalty to the family. He is more calculating in manner.
Near the end when he ‘takes care of all the family business’ on the day of the Baptism is a prime example of this. Because he was this way, the objects of his violence had no idea that it was coming. Their senses of values are also very dissimilar. Michael is a man of honor. He doesn’t run around having affairs with different women. He only marries twice because his first wife was killed in the explosion.
Sonny is an adulterer. He is with another woman during his sisters wedding, along with a few other times throughout the movie. The two brothers had very unlike tempers as well. Sonny had a severe temper, while Michael did not. Sonny’s temper ended up getting him killed. He flew off the handle when he found out that his sister had been beaten and ran out of the house without anyone with him.
The Essay on Sonny’s Blues 2
The authors of “Everyday Use” and “Sonny’s Blues” portray a demonstration that explores both sibling and parental relationships that constantly induce love and conflict with one another. Alice Walker, whom wrote “Everyday Use”, shows conflicts through Dee, a modern way of life type of girl, and her mother, a traditional African woman. In “Sonny’s Blues”, James Baldwin tells a tale of Sonny, a ...
During those times he should have known better, but all he had on his mind was vengeance. Michael on the other hand is fairly calm about things. He knows that Carlos was involved in Sonny’s death, but he lets it go until the time is right to deal with it. They shared similar loyalties. They did what they needed to do for their friends and family.
When others help them out, they do the same. Although Sonny felt that the move towards narcotics was a good idea, he didn’t go in that direction when he was in charge. They both had great admiration and respect for their father. When he wanted something done they jumped. When he was shot, Michael rushed home to see if he could help. He eventually got involved in the family business because of this.
Michael and Sonny both wanted the people who had been involved in the shooting to pay irregardless of the costs. Finally both Michael and Sonny had strong family ties (towards the Corleone family).
When a member of the family needed something they gave it to them. Sonny was outraged to learn that his sister was the victim of spousal abuse, and wanted to punish her husband for it. They did everything they could to make sure that every member of the family was safe at all times. Michael even gave up a whole year of his life to avenge his father’s shooting, later fleeing America and going to Italy escaping his pursuers.
In conclusion, Sonny and Michael were two completely different people, with different traits. They had different ways of doing things, but despite all of that they remained so very much the same. I think that has to do with the way their father brought them up, because I feel that he was the role model that they were molded after.
