Archetypes: Michael Corleone

During the beginning of The Godfather, Michael is portrayed as a weak character who did not want to have anything to do with his father's business. When he is talking to his girlfriend Kay Adams at his sister's wedding, he describes that "that's [his family], not [him]". He is an outsider to his family. He not only resents his family, but he goes out of his way (risks his life) to be made a 'hero' in the army, to fight for America. As the story moves on, the audience sees his character change. When he sees his father in an empty, suspicious hospital (being healed of the gun shot wounds), his character changes pretty quickly. From an outcast, to someone who wants to be involved and be the second "Don" of the Corleone family. Throughout the story, he is called a hero. He has been called a War Hero, then he has been called a hero because of his idea to kill Sollazzo and, the Chief of Police, McCluskey. There are major changes in Michael's character. He is becoming a hero. The type of Archetype Journey that Michael might be taking is either probably the quest for identity or the quest for vengeance. The quest for identity, because his character keeps changing; from a flat uninteresting character, to wanting to be the new leader of the Corleone family. It will be interesting to see which side his character will be at the end of the film. The quest for vengeance, because of what happened to his father (his father was shot by people who work for the Tattaglia family and Sollazzo), he wants revenge. It is safe to say that Michael is in the second stage of Joeseph Campbell's Stages of a Hero's Journey: The Initiation Stage. Michael is "gaining a more mature perspective" (The Godfather Part I: A Hero's Journey) about the role that he plays in his family.