Story Skeleton—The Godfather

Story structure relates to the psychological appeal of narrative, that which engages readers and builds in them a sense of anticipation—a desire to know what happens next. This blog series is meant to demonstrate the universality of story structure with plot breakdowns of award-winning and classic novels.

By David Griffin Brown

Vito the Puppet Master

The Godfather, published in 1969, was Mario Puzo's breakthrough novel. It was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success, with 67 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list and over nine million copies sold in its first two years. Although the novel itself did not win any major literary awards, it had a significant impact on the genre of crime and Mafia fiction, influencing countless stories in literature, film, and television. Puzo co-wrote the screenplay with director Francis Ford Coppola, and the adaptation won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

What is fascinating about this novel for our purposes is that it employs an "event" structure, wherein multiple character arcs revolve around a central incident—the attempted assassination of Vito Corleone and its aftermath. This event serves as the anchor for the various subplots, each character's journey intersecting and responding to this pivotal moment. Also, despite Vito's limited direct action throughout the novel, his influence permeates each subplot. He guides and nudges events from behind the scenes, always working toward his master plan, even after (spoiler alert) his own death. Vito's causality bleeds through the narrative, both in his role as the head of the family and as the guiding force behind each character's actions.

Narrative Goal

Vito Corleone, known as the Godfather, is a character shaped by a complex past of resilience, cunning, and calculated generosity. Having risen to power through strategic alliances and a firm sense of justice within the criminal underworld, Vito's underlying motivation is to secure a future in which his family can achieve both prosperity and stability—free from the volatility that often plagues those in his line of work. This desire to protect his family and ensure their continued success is the driving force behind his every action.

When Vito refuses to join a proposed narcotics operation, he unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that threatens both his family's prosperity and their security. The assassination attempt on him acts as a catalyst, signaling the beginning of a broader power struggle and an impending drug war among New York's crime families. Faced with this looming threat, Vito makes long-term plans to secure his family's future, carefully orchestrating the actions of his sons and allies to ensure their survival and eventual dominance.

More simply, we could restate this in logline form: When an attempt on Vito Corleone's life threatens his family and the stability of his crime empire, he enacts a plan that will ultimately transform his youngest son into the family's next ruthless leader.

Stasis: What Vito Stands to Lose

The stasis in The Godfather is an extended sequence that serves to establish Vito Corleone's character, domain, and power, primarily through the perspectives of others. This is a classic example of demonstrating what the protagonist stands to lose. Vito's control and the family's prosperity seem unassailable, making it inevitable that this stability will soon come under threat.

The novel begins with two community members, the undertaker Bonasera and the baker Nazorine, each deciding that they need the Godfather's help. This opening establishes Vito's role as a figure of power and influence, someone to whom others turn when they have nowhere else to go.

Following these initial requests for help, we move into the wedding of Vito's daughter, Connie, where the Godfather continues to demonstrate his influence and control by granting favors to those who seek an audience with him. The wedding scene showcases the power dynamics within the Corleone family and Vito's ability to manage his criminal empire even amidst a personal celebration. This scene is also where we meet Vito’s three sons, each of whom will be tested over the course of the novel.

Plot Points

The Godfather is a tapestry of plotlines. There are a number of what we could call minor protagonists, each at the helm of their own subplot; these include characters like Carlo Rizzi, Dr. Segal, and Tom Hagen—though Hagen is arguably Vito’s avatar more than an active agent in his own right. But for the sake of this analysis, we will focus on the biggest players—Vito's three sons, along with his godson Johnny Fontane, who represents the Godfather's interests in Hollywood.

The trials of the three sons are crucial to Vito's goals for achieving family stability. He knows his death will come sooner or later, and one of his sons will take his place as the head of the family, so these three plotlines represent the trials to determine who has what it takes. At first, Sonny is the only one willing to lead, but he lacks cunning; Fredo has been learning the business and may have some cunning, but he is soft and hedonistic; Michael is loyal to the family but wants his own independence. While Fontane isn't in the line of succession, he is still integral to the plan; with Vito's muscle and money, he reestablishes his career in Hollywood and thereby provides the Godfather with a new line of investment and influence.

Let's take a closer look:

Johnny Fontane

• Stasis: Johnny has lost his voice and his confidence. His wife has left him, and his second marriage is falling apart. He desperately wants a role in a major movie, but the director despises him and refuses to cast him.
• Inciting Incident: Vito sends Tom Hagen to help Johnny get back on track. This intervention is a turning point, as Vito makes it clear that Johnny should trust in his godfather's power to solve his problems.
• Goal: Johnny's goal is to revive his career in Hollywood. At first, he sees acting as a possible solution, but what he really wants is to be able to sing again.
• Rising action: Johnny faces obstacles in the form of powerful studio heads, particularly the director who refuses to cast him, and in his failing confidence which has damaged his career. However, with Vito's help, Johnny gets a second chance at success. He reconciles with his ex-wife, secures the coveted acting role, and even wins an award for his performance. Eventually, Johnny meets a maverick surgeon allied with the family and undergoes an operation that restores his voice.
• Climax: The surgery helps Johnny's voice somewhat, but it's not until he's able to fully take control of his life and recognize his worth, individually and as a member of the family with the Don's full respect, that he regains the confidence he needs to sing. This culminates in Johnny cutting a new album after he thought his singing days were behind him forever.
• Resolution: After successfully recording his new album, Johnny becomes integrated into the family's plans for Vegas, utilizing his celebrity status to promote their growing interests in hotels and entertainment. He works alongside the Corleones to establish Las Vegas as both a gambling hub and an entertainment hotspot. His presence in Vegas helps draw celebrities and high-profile attention, boosting the Corleones' influence and providing Johnny with a more stable future both as a performer and an ally to the family. This is part of Vito’s plan to shift the family empire into a legal business and thus avoid the narcotics trade.

Santino "Sonny" Corleone

• Stasis: During Vito’s crucial first meeting about the drug trade, Sonny fails to guard his tongue; his outburst reveals his impulsiveness and desire for the family to get involved in the lucrative narcotics business. This moment demonstrates his bullheadedness and also creates a vulnerability within the Corleones, as the rival family boss, Virgil Sollozzo, sees a division he can exploit.
• Inciting Incident: The assassination attempt on Vito serves as Sonny's inciting incident, forcing him to take charge of the family in his father's absence.
• Goal: Sonny's narrative goal is to lead the family and avenge the attempt on his father's life.
• Rising Action: Sonny's leadership is marked by a rash and ruthless approach, resulting in a series of violent retaliations against rival families. He orders hits against those who were involved in the assassination attempt on Vito, escalating the conflict between the families. His aggressive and reckless nature leads to several successful but unsustainable victories, which ultimately draw significant resistance from the other rival bosses. His approach lacks the strategic foresight of his father, leaving the family vulnerable.
• Climax/Resolution: The climax occurs when Sonny rushes to help his sister, Connie, who is being abused by her husband, Carlo Rizzi. Sonny's impulsive nature prevents him from considering the possibility that Carlo, a man willing to abuse a Corleone daughter, might also be capable of betraying the family. As a result, Sonny falls into a trap; Carlo has tipped off the rival family, leading to Sonny's death in a brutal ambush at a toll booth. This tragic ending underscores Sonny's inability to lead with the cunning and patience necessary to protect the Corleone family. He has failed his test.

Fredo Corleone

Fredo has his own plotline that culminates in a series of failures that demonstrate his inability to lead even in a limited capacity. However, we don’t see too much of him. The omniscient narrator instead favours Michael, Sonny, and Johnny. We learn about Fredo’s trials through other characters like Dr. Segal and later Michael, as well as through rumours of the Godfather’s displeasure with his middle child.

• Stasis: During the assassination attempt on Vito, Fredo reacts badly, dropping his gun and collapsing in shock. This failure demonstrates his weakness of character and shows that he lacks the "Sicilian balls" required to be a leader in the family.
• Inciting Incident: Later, Vito sends Fredo to Las Vegas to work with Moe Greene. This move is Fredo's inciting incident, giving him a fresh opportunity to prove himself.
• Rising Action: During his time in Las Vegas, Fredo spends his days sleeping around—often with multiple women—and allowing Moe Greene to call all the shots. He fails to effectively represent the family’s interests in the hotel venture.
• Climax: In a flagrant display of disrespect, Moe Greene slaps Fredo in front of others, and Fredo does nothing to stand up to him. Ultimately, Fredo is a failure.
• Resolution: Vito is forced to send Michael to Vegas to take control and move forward with the family's plan to transition into the more legitimate business of hotels and gambling. Fredo's inability to succeed underscores his role as the weakest link among Vito's sons.

Michael Corleone

In the vast majority of novels, the protagonist is the main character. But there are exceptions. For example, in The Great Gatsby and Moby-Dick, the narrator is not the protagonist, and since we spend the most “page time” with the narrator, they can be said to be the main character, even if they aren’t driving the plot. In The Godfather, Vito is arguably the principal protagonist since he impacts and steers the plotlines of all the other characters. However, Michael is the main character. Over the course of the novel, we get to know him the best, and his development plays out across three distinct arcs.

1) Accepting His Destiny

• Stasis: The initial stasis and inciting incident take place before the novel opens. We don't learn about the specific moment or event that causes Michael to desire a life outside of the Corleone Mafia world, but that is the narrative goal he is working toward at the beginning of the story.
• Point of No Return: This also takes place before page one. Michael attends college and, more importantly, enlists and does a tour in the military—against his father's wishes. He has made it abundantly clear that he will forge his own way in the world.
• Rising Action: This is where the novel opens. Michael is courting Kay, a Yankee woman, to whom he explains at his sister's wedding that his family is "different." We get the sense that he also sees himself as different and outside the family business, though he is still fiercely loyal to his father and won't divulge much to Kay.
• Midpoint Reversal: The assassination attempt on his father marks a turning point for Michael. In terms of his want-versus-need dichotomy, he WANTS independence from the family, but he NEEDS to remain loyal. Loyalty is at the core of who he is. Thus, his narrative goal changes at this point. He gives up on his want in order to accept his need. In Vito’s words, he has found his true destiny. He will protect his family, and this means stepping into his role within the Corleone empire.
• Rising Action: Michael initially gets involved by trying to assist Sonny in managing the family's affairs, though Sonny resists his brother’s help and tries to sideline him. Michael then steps up to protect Vito when the brothers realize there is a new threat at the hospital; he risks his own safety to move his father to a secure location. During this incident, a corrupt police officer, Captain McCluskey, punches Michael in the face, which leads Michael to propose a plan to eliminate McCluskey and the rival boss Sollozzo. This pivotal decision marks Michael's commitment to the family—he insists on executing the hit himself.
• Climax: Michael goes to an Italian restaurant to meet with Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey under the guise of negotiating peace. During the meeting, Michael retrieves a hidden gun from the restroom and murders both Sollozzo and McCluskey. This act is Michael's definitive break from his previous life and solidifies his commitment to the family's path of violence and power.
• Resolution: Michael has fully stepped into the family's world, abandoning his previous aspirations and accepting his destiny as part of the Corleone crime family. He must also walk away from his relationship with Kay. Vito arranges to smuggle him out of the country and keep him in hiding until they can clear his name. Michael has sacrificed all of his life goals, but in doing so, he has shifted the balance of power back in favour of the Corleone family.

2) Michael’s Italian Romance

• Stasis: After the murder of Sollozzo and McCluskey, Michael is sent to Sicily to hide. Here he has a general goal of "biding his time" in Italy, waiting for the day when he can return to his family in New York.
• Inciting Incident: Michael falls in love with Apollonia at first sight: he is struck by "the thunderbolt."
• Goal: Even though Michael is meant to lie low in Italy, he cannot ignore the thunderbolt. He begins courting Apollonia even though doing so raises his profile in Sicily.
• Rising Action: In order to win Apollonia's hand, Michael must first convince her parents of his worthiness. He does so with grace and generosity. He wins over Apollonia and her family, and soon they are married.
• Climax: Apollonia is killed in a car bomb meant for Michael. Her death is a critical turning point that fuels in him the ruthlessness and resolve he will need to survive the world of the Mafia.
• Resolution: Apollonia's death sets Michael on a path of vengeance and ambition as he returns to the United States. This episode solidifies his commitment to defeating the family’s enemies. In getting to know Michael's capacity for love and loyalty, readers are able to connect with him more deeply, and we are also primed to accept his brutality to come. We see in him the compassion and vulnerability that Sonny lacks. However, that compassion and vulnerability are now tempered. He has learned an important lesson; his willingness to draw attention to himself in winning Apollonia's hand is what brought his enemies down upon him.

3) The Next Godfather

• Stasis: Michael returns from Sicily and takes on more responsibility within the family. He is now well positioned as Vito's successor.
• Inciting Incident: Vito formally steps back, preparing Michael to take over as the head of the family.
• Goal: Michael's goal is to consolidate power, eliminate threats to the Corleone family, and establish himself as the new Don.
• Rising Action: Michael orchestrates a series of strategic moves, including relocating the family's operations to Las Vegas and leading the rival families to believe the Corleones have grown weak under the youngest son’s leadership. Also, while Michael assumed Kay would no longer want to have anything to do with him and his crime family, she has awaited his return. They marry, but he makes it clear that they will never discuss the family business.
• Climax: Michael eliminates a number of significant rivals and traitors in a sweeping, ruthless move, asserting his dominance as the new Don. This includes orchestrating the murder of his brother-in-law, Carlo, as well as taking out longtime ally Salvatore Tessio, who betrayed Vito's trust by conspiring with the Barzini family against the Corleones, who it turns out was behind Sonny's murder.
• Resolution: Michael secures his position as the new head of the Corleone family, but at great personal cost. He has transformed into a figure even more ruthless than his father, giving up on his initial desire for independence, losing much of his humanity, and becoming isolated from those he loves, including his wife. However, since we have accompanied Michael through all of these trials, we have empathy for his evolution—we can see the justification for the path he has taken.

Michael is the Next Vito

In the foreword to The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola mentions that Vito Corleone's three sons each represent different aspects of their father. Coppola saw this as a key element of the story, with each son inheriting distinct characteristics. This thematic approach helped him craft the film by emphasizing these traits: Sonny's fiery aggression, Fredo's vulnerability, and Michael's combination of intelligence and determination.

However, I disagree with Coppola’s assessment. In taking on Sollozzo and McCluskey, Michael shows that he has Sonny's fiery aggression. In his Italian romance with Apollonia and marriage to Kay, he demonstrates his compassion and vulnerability. And he has what the other two lack: patience and cunning. In my reading of the text, Sonny and Fredo represent partial reflections of their father, but without the full package, neither is fit to lead. Over the course of the story, Michael proves that he has what it takes to replace the Godfather. He is the rightful heir.

The White Lotus Critique

In the second season of White Lotus, an HBO show written and directed by Mike White and set at a resort in Sicily, there is a brief discussion about The Godfather. Albie Di Grasso, the son, critiques the novel as being sexist, and the grandfather, Bert, defends the novel as being a product of its time. Since I watched this series right before reading the book, I brought this question into my analysis.

It's true that there is a lot of misogyny and violence against the women in the novel, but is that representative of the time and culture of a Mafia family? Sure, it's reasonable that this is a fair take on the gender dynamics of the time. However, a sexist representation does not necessarily equate to a sexist narrative. For example, many authors depict sexism and misogyny as part of a cultural or societal critique. Yet there doesn't seem to be such a critique here. Further, there's another reason I have to agree with Albie's assessment that The Godfather is a sexist narrative: none of the women in the story are afforded narrative agency; that is to say, they are characterized by their relationships to men, and not through their own desires or ambitions.

In Sicily, Apollonia is beautiful and demure. Through her, we witness Michael's tenderness, and her death becomes a lesson that results in his solidified resolve. Beyond that, Vito's daughter Connie is used to reveal Carlo Rizzi's villainy. Sonny's mistress Lucy is a window onto Sonny's divergence from Vito's code of ethics, and later, her condition of pelvic relaxation provides a means for the family-allied Dr. Jules Segal to prove his worth, which leads to him diagnosing Johnny Fontane's throat condition and connecting the singer with a specialist. While Vito's wife Carmela (Mama Corleone) helps Michael reconnect with Kay after his time in Sicily, she is largely an anchor for Vito, attending church regularly to pray for her sinful husband. Of all the women in The Godfather, Kay comes closest to having a full arc, and yet it is still based around her longing to be with Michael. While he is in Sicily, she waits patiently for him to return. When the secrecy of his new role in the family strains their relationship, she quietly accepts the distance between them. And finally, once they are married and Michael has taken over the family business, she assumes Carmela's role as anchor—she converts to Catholicism so she too can pray for her sinful husband.

Apart from their relationships to the central characters, not one of the female characters has a narrative goal of her own. This isn’t to suggest they should have active roles within the Mafia itself; rather, it’s to point out that even in limited roles, characters can have personal motivations and inner lives. As it is, they feel like devices more than living, breathing characters, which is stark when you consider the depths of characterization Puzo affords the men. As they are objects of possession for their men, they are similarly the author’s tools for plot and characterization.

Why is The Godfather a Classic?

Vito Corleone is a godfather of crime, but he is also a godfather of plot. While some might chalk this book up to a swashbuckling adventure of crime and revenge, it is a structural masterpiece. What's most unusual here is that the protagonist, Vito, is not the main character. The main action revolves around Michael. While other co-protagonists have a single plot arc, Michael has three. The novel is his origin story. But at the heart of it all is Vito, pulling the strings, laying traps, and positioning his crime family in a long-term scheme that, in the end, has them best their enemies and set the Corleone clan up for a secure future in Las Vegas. Even toward the end, when Michael is feasibly running the show, he is using his father's playbook, and the actions he takes after Vito's death are still part of the plan Vito was working toward all along.

The cultural impact of The Godfather has been magnified by its film adaptation. The movie, co-written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, helped cement the novel's legacy. Coppola’s film brought the story to a wider audience and elevated it to an iconic status, no doubt one of the most influential films of all time. The success of the film has ensured that the Corleones’ saga remains a timeless piece of both literary and cinematic history.

In Conclusion

One of the central themes of The Godfather is destiny. Vito Corleone speaks to this when he says, “Many young men started down a false path to their true destiny. Time and fortune usually set them aright.” This sentiment clearly applies to Michael. Despite his efforts to carve out an independent life, the trials he faces—beginning with the assassination attempt on his father—pull him back in, ultimately setting him on the path to lead the Corleone family.

Yet what makes The Godfather so compelling is how destiny is not left to chance alone. Vito, as the godfather of both crime and plot, actively shapes the destinies of many. Vito’s long-term schemes, his plan to protect and groom Michael, and even his influence from beyond the grave, all ensure that Michael steps into his role as his father's successor. In the end, Michael's journey is not just about accepting his fate—it is about the inevitability of Vito's influence, demonstrating that while destiny is inescapable, it is often carefully guided by those who wield power.

David Griffin Brown is an award-winning short fiction writer and co-author of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling. He holds a BA in anthropology from UVic and an MFA in creative writing from UBC, and his writing has been published in literary magazines such as the Malahat Review and Grain. In 2022, he was the recipient of a New Artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. David founded Darling Axe Editing in 2018, and as part of his Book Broker interview series, he has compiled querying advice from over 100 literary agents. He lives in Victoria, Canada, on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.