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The predecessor to ?The Last Don? was ?The Godfather? novel of twenty five years earlier. ?The Godfather? holds true to the family concept of ?The Last Don? and involves just as much violence, if not more. The main difference to the killings and the violence is the purpose. Unlike the Clericuzio family in ?The Last Don?, the Corleone family is not the most powerful family in the nation. The Corleones have a wish along with the five other major Mafia families to become the most powerful family. Therefore, the killings in ?The Godfather? are a direct result of the attainment of power. One of those examples does not even involve the killing of a man but rather an animal. Johnny Fontane, the godson of Don Corleone, comes to the Don on the day of his daughters wedding distraught as his career of singing and acting is spiraling downward. There is a movie role that is perfect for him that would once again skyrocket his career. The only problem is that the owner of the studio shooting the film is upset at him for stealing a young actress from his studios. The fact that Johnny was able to be this aspiring young beauty?s lover made the studio owner enraged with jealousy. Johnny Fontane has come to Don Corleone as a last resort to getting the movie role. Don Clericuzio makes a promise to get Johnny that part and has no intentions of braking that promise. He first sends his right hand man Tom Hagen to Hollywood to discuss the matter with Jack Woltz who was the owner of the studio making the film. Jack Woltz took Tom Hagen on a tour of his properties that included horse stables. The business meeting regarding Johnny would go down at dinner later that night. At the stables Tom was introduced to a horse by the name of Khartoum. This horse meant much more to Woltz than most people think. This was evident when, ??he stroked the horse?s mane and called out softly, ?Kahrtoum, Kahrtoum.? There was real love in his voice and the animal responded.?? (P. 59) Woltz had paid an insane amount of money to buy a world class racehorse and then retire it in it?s prime for the purpose of breeding. Later on that evening at the negotiations Woltz made it clear that Johnny Fontane would not get the part in the movie. Tom Hagen, who was supposed to spend the night in Woltz?s mansion, abruptly got up and left to fly back out east and give Don Corleone the bad news. The next morning, Tom Hagen awoke with bloodied sheets and the head of his precious Kahrtoum beside him. Johnny Fontane was given the part in the movie later that day. The Clericuzios had succeeded in attaining the movie role for the godson. This was just a taste of things to come in the novel.

Knowing that the Don of a Mafia family is the nucleus means that a Don must live each minute of his life in paranoia of who is going to knock him off. The man who would take a stab at taking down Don Corleone would be a man by the name of Sollozo. He was an opportunist wanting to start up a large narcotics ring in the United States and had the backing of five of the six Mafia families. The only one unwilling to cooperate were the Corleones. The political power and sway that the Corleones had was enough to hinder the narcotics operation that was in the works. As a way of continuing his narcotics business, Sollozo decides to pull a gun on Don Corleone while he is uncharacteristically buying fruit from a street vendor. The shots only wound the Don but they were severe enough to put him in hospital and out of commission for a few weeks. Don Corleone?s oldest son Sonny has the sense of mind to place guards outside of the hospital to avoid a repeat attack. Something seems fishy as the city police captain has the guards taken away and put in jail for the night to make the Don available. The Don?s youngest son, Michael, arrives on the scene just before the second murder attempt is to take place. This foils the plan to kill the Don for another night. Realizing that to get to the Don they might have to take down his sons first, Sollozo and Police Captain McCluskey arrange a meeting with Michael the next day to negotiate a deal. They all go to a restaurant a few towns away and begin to have dinner. Although never before being involved in violence, Michael knew that for his family name to survive and climb he would have to take care of these two men. This was evident when Michael talks with his two dinner guests by saying, ?I hope we can settle things tonight, I don?t want my father bothered anymore.? It was all carefully planned out as Michael went to the washroom and retrieved a gun that had been carefully placed earlier on in the day. Michael then proceeded to exit the washroom and shoot Solozzo and McCluskey dead. This act ended the threat by these two men against the Don. It was important for the Don to stay alive, as his personal political contacts were crucial to the advancement of the Corleone family. The Don was still in trouble for a

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