POWER, MORALITY, AND THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THE GODFATHER: A THEMATIC AND PSYCHO-SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper explores Mario Puzo’s The Godfather as a complex study of morality, power, and the pursuit of the American Dream. By combining thematic, psychoanalytic, and sociocultural perspectives, it investigates how the novel redefines the traditional understanding of family, justice, and capitalism in postwar America. The analysis suggests that Puzo’s portrayal of the Corleone family transcends the conventions of crime fiction, offering instead a meditation on the psychological mechanisms of authority and the socio-economic structures of ambition. The study concludes that The Godfather dramatizes a paradox at the heart of American identity—success achieved through moral compromise.