Religion In Mario Puzo's The Godfather

To the modern mind, the surrealist Homeric narration of Olympian gods seems odd, because since the middle ages faith has been justified by religious scriptures. Yet, the way Homer managed to link faith with the everyday life of his hero is of great concern in our analysis. In comparison to classical narration, the presence of religion in contemporary world is of a minor importance both in fiction and reality. Being a modern novelist, Mario Puzo personally admitted that he never believed in religion. (The Godfather and American Culture, Messenger, 2002). In the novel, this profane ideology stems from his historical background, as well as, the experience his heroes underwent. Under Bakhtin’s theory of the chronotope, religion in The Godfather

Accordingly, Michael as a strong beholder of his Sicilian culture holds the same ideology by embracing the mafia style and Omerta. Despite this opposition to Catholicism, Puzo shows some of its doctrines that have been embraced, namely the notion of the godfather, meaning that a person needs a biological father and an illegitimate one. This role of godfather was first introduced in the early 5th century. Back then, the biological parents could fill this role during the baptism of the child but it was no longer the case, after Saint Augustine decided that godparents are no longer biological parents who attend baptismal sponsoring, but a parent figure to provide spiritual guidance to their kid (source). Consequently, this religious figure started to be taken seriously on too many levels by Italians. Throughout the years people did not take this relationship sacredly as it was stated in Catholicism, until it finally meant the custody of a child if his natural parents die. For that matter, the Italian Corleone’s family being indulged in the mafia; living dangerous mode de vie adopted this idea of godfathers in need for a second father for extra guidance when things turn out difficult. Puzo indicates that this idea is a tool not a sacred belief; in the last chapters he reveals the moral corruption of Michael who right after the