The Godfather - Religious Symbolism

There may be many religious symbols hidden throughout the context of The Godfather, but there was one in particular that stood out to me. This symbolism was the parallelism between the "the Godfather" and God Himself.

The head of the Corleone Mafia family, is known to friends and associates as "Godfather." At the beginning of the movie Vito Corleone was the Godfather of the family and in mafia terms the "Don". The Godfather is the leader of the family who children and adults alike look up to for inspiration. The Godfather also represents the family through the Mafia business that the majority of the Corleone family is involved in. Later in the movie, Vito Corleone's son, Michael, becomes the new Godfather and the sole representative of the family.

The Godfather is like the Corleone's version of God. God is at the top of the hierarchy for religious people, like the Godfather is the top of the hierarchy for the Corleone Mafia family. Christian people are led by God and look to him for guidance and inspiration throughout the difficult times in their life. The Godfather plays the same role for his family and friends and will protect them as long as they pledge their loyalty to him.

The Don, or Godfather, expects those who follow him to devote their complete trust and faith in him; this expectation also holds true for Christians following God. Sometimes Christians do not feel a complete sense of trust in God's vision for them but religion teaches them to have faith in his plan. This is similar to the Godfather because often his family is sceptical of his intentions but they have no other options but to trust in him. We are taught that by turning your back on God will lead to misfortune. This is also true for the Corleone family because turning your back on the Godfather will most likely lead to your death.

If one reads deeply between the drugs, extortion, and murders associated with the Godfather's role, there are most definitely religious parallelisms between the Godfather and God. Although the actions of the mafia are in no way acceptable by God's standards, the hierarchy system and leadership role are unquestionably similar.