The Godfather

 “The Godfather” By Mario Puzo
 
186
Brooklyn restaurant with Corleone and they accompanied Maranzano as his 
bodyguards. They left hum sitting at a checkered table, morosely munching a piece of 
bread, and fled the restaurant as Tessio and four of his men entered. The execution was 
swift and sure. Maranzano, his mouth full of half-chewed bread, was riddled with bullets. 
The war was over. 
The Maranzano empire was incorporated into the Corleone operation. Don Corleone set 
up a system of tribute, allowing all incumbents to remain in their bookmaking and policy 
number spots. As a bonus he had a foothold in the unions of the garment center which 
in later years was to prove extremely important. And now that he had settled his 
business affairs the Don found trouble at home. 
Santino Corleone, Sonny, was sixteen years old and grown to an astonishing six feet 
with broad shoulders and a heavy face that was sensual but by no means effeminate. 
But where Fredo was a quiet boy, and Michael, of course, a toddler, Santino was 
constantly in trouble. He got into fights, did badly in school and, finally, Clemenza, who 
was the boy’s godfather and had a duty to speak, came to Don Corleone one evening 
and informed him that his son had taken part in an armed robbery, a stupid affair which 
could have gone very badly. Sonny was obvidusly the ringleader, the two other boys in 
the robbery his followers. 
It was one of the very few times that Vito Corleone lost his temper. Tom Hagen had 
been living in his home for three years and he asked Clemenza if the orphan boy had 
been involved. Clemenza shook his head. Don Corleone had a car sent to bring Santino 
to his offices in the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company. 
For the first time, the Don met defeat. Alone with his son, he gave full vent to his rage, 
cursing the hulking Sonny in Sicilian dialect, a language so much more satisfying than 
any other for expressing rage. He ended up with a question. “What gave you the right to 
commit such an act? What made you wish to commit such an act?” 
Sonny stood there, angry, refusing to answer. The Don said with contempt, “And so 
stupid. What did you earn for that night’s work? Fifty dollars each? Twenty dollars? You 
risked your life for twenty dollars, eh?” 
As if he had not heard these last words, Sonny said defiantly, “I saw you kill Fanucci.” 
The Don said, “Ahhh” and sank back in his chair. He waited. 
Sonny said, “When Fanucci left the building, Mama said I could go up the house. I saw 
you go up the roof and I followed you. I saw everything you did. I stayed up there and I 

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