Godfather Death

Meaning and significance of death in the light of the Christian narrative is addressed including detail and some examples.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON "GODFATHER DEATH", A FAIRY TALE WRITTEN BY JACOB LUDWIG GRIMM AND WILHELM CARL GRIMM

One of the greatest films and novels of all time, The Godfather by Mario Puzo is the book that I chose to write my report about. This book falls under the drama and crime fiction genres, due to its dramatic story of people being shot and murdered. The Godfather takes place in New York during the years 1945-1955, right after World War II. Most of the story is written from a narrator 's perspective, save for two points in the book in which the story becomes a first person point of view. One of the themes portrayed in the novel is that family always comes first, even if it isn’t a blood-related family, but a crime family. The novel’s theme is primarily that of loyalty, which is a crucial plot device because some of the Corleone family

Death is a promise by God that we as humans still have not found the courage to accept nor comprehend. Good or bad. Old or young. God has promised us all an eternal resting place in heaven or hell, or even in someone. Where we can live through their thoughts and imagination, get a second chance at life through them. Throughout Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya we see how the dead linger and live in Antonio, unfolding their souls in his inquisitive mind and hand him the bricks to make them a home of his religious ambivalence.

The boy has succeeded in unintentionally sharing this rarity with his father. For when it comes to helping others the boy always wants to “give (them) something to eat” (163). Despite themselves suffering from starvation, the father follows the boy’s wishes. He sacrifices his own needs to make his son happy. Love is the emotion that gives the father hope. While on his deathbed, the father refutes the son’s wishes to die together. He knows how easy it would be to selfishly pull the trigger and save his son from the terrors that haunt the earth. However, he knows that there is always a chance of life, a chance of happiness, and chance of luck. Thus, directing his son that he “cant go with (him). (He) needs to keep going” (278), for it would be inhumane to seize the opportunity from his son. Due to the love for his son, the father is able to walk in the light of his ethics while everyone else falls into the shadows. However, at times the light doesn't seem so bright when one is constantly questioning the higher power who is supposed to be the one illuminating the luminescence.

In John Updike’s “A&P,” and “Godfather Death,” we see many similarities between the plots, but while both authors know how to captivate their audience by introducing different plots, there are also many differences in the plots throughout the story. The first part of the plot in “Godfather Death” takes place when “a poor man who has twelve children and had to work all day and night just to give them bread”,(Grimm 1) has a thirteenth child. Worried about what he will do he runs outside to find a godfather for the child. And because the father was so poor he chose Death as the godfather because “Death makes all men equal,” (Grim 14) and also because Death “takes the rich and the poor without distinction” (Grimm 14).

Have you ever believed in something or someone so much that you would give up everything? Or felt so obligated to do something that was, in reality, the wrong thing to do? Everyone has their own views on what is morally correct based on where they came from and what day in age it is. Within two stories we can see the differences and similarities of how we all can make mistakes and how we can all fight for what we believe in. In the selections “Godfather Death” and “A&P” the authors, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, and John Updike, uses the elements of plot, through exposition, climax, and resolution, in different ways to express their take on morals.

The authors Jacob and Wilhem Grimm let the readers imagine real-life situations that people believe they face every day. The metaphor that they use is God, Satan and Death; these are all things that we are faced with in our daily lives. The story “Godfather Death” is told in 3rd person omniscient. Whereas, this story comes down to choices, these choices determine their fate. The father has 12 children that he can hardly feed and provide for, so the man is out in the street searching for the right person to be his 13th child godfather. The man was approached by GOD, "I do not wish to have you for a godfather," said the man. "You give to the rich, and let the poor starve." The man was approached by Satan, "Then I do not wish to have you for a godfather," said the man. You deceive mankind and lead them astray." Then Death comes along, "I am Death, who makes everyone equal." "You are the right one. You take away the rich as well as the poor, without distinction. "I will make your child rich and famous, for he who has me for a friend cannot fail" (13). In general, people greed, selfishness and desire for power always cause them to lose everything. “What good does love, money, status, and power do, if a man loses his life?”

The fable of “Godfather Death” poses several topics worth discussing. I was particularly intrigued with how it portrays the human compulsion to tempt fate. In this particular example, the protagonist of the story is placed under the care of Death, a being thought to be omnipotent and clearly not someone to mess around with. As a christening gift, Death awards the protagonist an herb that will help any patient of his recover.

Death is a concept in the theme that has a presence in the short stories Godfather Death, The Tell-Tale heart, and The Story of an Hour. Death is always lurking in the shadows. Death is the unavoidable shadow in the character faces death becomes a companion to the namaste.

Fairytales have been told for thousands of years. Some of the most famous fairy tales were German in origin and were collected by the Grimm brothers. Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm were scholars that spent most of their time together. In 1838, they began writing a German dictionary while they were working as librarians. In 1840 king Fredrich Wilhelm IV sent both brothers to the Royal Academy of Sciences. (Gioia) (pp.12-13) Following this the two brothers spent the rest of their lives teaching at the University of Berlin. The two brothers were also known for other projects such as, books about mythology, scholarly works on topics such as, linguistics and medieval studies. They also worked on compiling an ambitious German

father did not die a ‘complete’ death and that haunts him. This pain is shown in a unique way

The young physician got a call to see a beautiful princess, yet again the physician saw Death at the feet, so the physician thought he would try the same trick however, this time Death took him like Death promised. Death showed the young physician the candles that represent a person's life. Death then showed the young physician his candle it was short and withering in red ready to go out. The young physician tried to bargain but Death took him anyway. The moral of the story is people cannot cheat Death we all end up

THE GODFATHER, made in 1974, details the Corleone crime family in Manhattan during the mid 1930s. The Don, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, leads his organization against a relentless narcotics push by a rival family, the Sollozzos. Vito Caleone does not want anything to do with drugs because he believes they will be the downfall of the Mafia. The story, covering a ten year time period, offers a rich tapestry of Mafia life from the inside, drawing the audience into witnessing the transfer of power within a close-knit family

I find it rather peculiar that in this tale we are led to believe that Death was very easily recognizable. The servant knew immediately that the woman that “jostled”(pg. 4) him was Death. We also read that the merchant went to the marketplace and could see Death standing in the crowd(pg. 4).