Impact of Religion and Crime in the Lives of Italian-Americans

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 1
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Impact of religion and crime in the lives of Italian-Americans
Religion and crime are highly influential in the lives of Italian-Americans. This paper
will focus on the two elements and their effects on the Italian-Americans. Based on the text
Christ in Concrete, religion has been deduced as a significant factor. This can be attributed to the
fact that the dominant Italian immigrant society practiced Christianity religion (catholic). The
protagonist of the novel, Paul di Donato, was at first a staunch believer. However, due to the fact
that faith could not solve his needs or revive his deceased father, he lost faith in religion
eventually (Tamburri ,10, p. 10). He challenges the capacity of religion to provide a practical
solution to people’s needs. Paul was born into a poor family which had many struggles. His
father, the breadwinner, died while on duty as a bricklayer. After his father’s demise, Paul was
forced to step up and take care of his siblings and his mother. Just like his father, he becomes a
bricklayer and experiences the harsh conditions surrounding the job. Even though Paul is bright,
he cannot afford to pay for his education since the little income he receives from the job is meant
for the family expenses. Later, Paul gets a better job opportunity in a skyscraper and is very
pleased. Nonetheless, Paul is disappointed with the fact that his loved ones either died or got
injured at their workplace and his faith could not provide a remedy to these undertakings. This is
the sole reason why Paul decides to quit religion because it does not offer a solution his needs.
Additionally, religion has also been incorporated in the text Paper Fish by Tina De Rosa.
The novel portrays the poor lives of immigrant natives. It tells the story of a multicultural young

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 2
couple where the man is an Italian American police officer while the woman is Lithuanian (Bona
2018, p. 89). The couple lives nearby the house of the husband’s mother-in-law. The latter is a
follower of catholic faith and a believer in superstition. As she practices her religion, she does
not do it exaggeratedly. The story goes on to shed light on what transpired in the family. The
couple had two daughters namely, Doriana and Carmolina. Doriana was very beautiful but was
physically challenged. Carmolina, on the other hand, was totally normal and she loved her sister
dearly. When she finds out that her parents are planning to take Doriana to an institution for
disabled people, she is angered and decides to flee from home. She goes missing for three days
and her family members become very worried. Later on in the novel, Carmolina’s life becomes
tougher due to the death of her father, grandmother, and most of the people in the neighborhood.
As aforementioned, carmolina’s grandmother was a staunch believer and probably Carmolina
inherited the faith and she turned a new leaf.
As aforementioned, crime is another element that has been experienced in the lives of
Italian-Americans. In the film the Goodfellas, Henry Hill is the protagonist and was introduced
to crime at an early age. He lived in a neighborhood full of criminals and together with his
friends, Jimmy Conway and Tommy de Vito, they committed a lot of felonies (Hill, 2017, p. 30).
His friends were more brutal and not afraid to kill anyone if it meant that they would go a notch
higher in crime. Jimmy Conway organized a mafia which was responsible for the major hijacks
and robberies reported in the town. In addition to crime, Henry was an addict of cocaine and a
dealer. Since Jimmy and Tommy were more involved in crime, they got more wealth and Henry
became intimated but could not consider committing murders just like they did in order to get as
rich. The film narrates their lives in crime, describing their rise and fall. The friends were
eventually arrested and imprisoned for some time. When Henry gets released, he desires to live

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 3
the life of his dreams and goes behind Paul Cicero’s back to get the money. Paul Cicero is the
overall leader of the mob. Through the film, we get to learn of the relationship between henry
and his two friends. At the end, they land in trouble and they try as much as possible to help each
other out and survive the crisis. They are real friends who have each other’s backs at all times
especially when their criminal acts have caught up with them.
The mafia genre has also been outlined in the film The Godfather produced in 1972. The
film narrates the life of the Godfather ‘Don’ Vito Corleone who is in charge of the Corleone
gang syndicate in New York (Graham 2016, p. 2). Don attends the wedding of his beloved
daughter Connie Corleone and his youngest son, Michael, is also present. Michael is a WWII
marine officer and is seemingly not interested in participating in the family business, probably
because it is unlawful. He had just returned home as a hero and wanted to live a peaceful life.
Vito has kind deeds but only to those who respect him and those who do not face his wrath. He
practices the olden way of life which involves protecting the family and the community as well.
However, the old ways are eroding way and being replaced with new ways that do not have a
sense of responsibility. Things take a different turn when Don’s biggest rival Virgil Hollozo
wants to start a drug business in New York. In order to succeed, he needs the influence of Don to
get protection from his mafia family and in return his will compensate him with a share of the
drug money. When he approaches Don concerning the matter, Vito refuses his offer despite the
advice from his attorney Tom Hagen. This is because he firmly opposes the use of drugs. Sollazo
is angered with the rejection and decides to retaliate by ordering his hit men to end the life of the
Don. Vito gets shot down and luckily he manages to survive the attack though he gets seriously
injured. Even though Michael has excluded himself from the business family, he feels the need
to revenge for his father’s attack and he starts an outrageous war against Sollazo. He was

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 4
reluctant to join the mafia but the attack made him do it and the war resulted in the separation of
the Corleone mafia family.
Additionally, the issue of crime has also been portrayed in the Sopranos movie. The
leading role, Tony Soprano, is an Italian-American mob boss who resides in New Jersey. His
mental health is affected by personal and business matters and an anxiety attack causes him to
seek psychiatric help (Nelson 2015, p. 125). Even though he was reluctant at the beginning, he
made revelations that shed light upon the happenings in his life. He is constantly stressed
because his teenage daughter is rebellious to his wife’s authority. Moreover, his malicious
mother refuses to be moved to a retirement institution despite the fact that she is old enough in
order to nag her son continuously. Moreover, his wife had a suspicious relationship with the
local priest and his nephew had an obsession of acquiring immediate wealth. His uncle Junior is
jealous of Tony’s success as the leader of the mafia and initiates a plan to kill him. Junior was
contemplating to attack an eatery owned by Tony’s high school friend Artie Boco. His waste
management consultancy company gets jeopardized when his rival supports its removal. The
wild ducks that stayed in his pool which he regularly fed got babies and left. His safety is at risk
when the feds and RICO begin investigating him. All these reasons drive him to seek psychiatric
assistance which he hides from the mob because he does not want them to view him as a weak
individual. His intimate conversations with the psychiatrist reveal the issues that affect his life.
The therapy enables Tony to comprehend the example of his father, the manipulative ways of his
mother, and the fears he has of losing his family and dying as well. He realizes that his personal
life was not as gratifying as that of his late father.
Another Italian-American film that I have watched involving crime is the Real
Gangsters. It is a film about Lo Giacamo, a powerful mafia family in New York City (Silver

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 5
2017, p. 57). It is headed by two cousins Vincent Lo Giacamo and Jack Lo Giacamo. The film
shows how the two men controlled their dangerous businesses in various means. Vincent is the
diplomatic one, a politician whose role is to interact with people, maintain peace, and expand the
family empire. Jack, on the other hand, is technical and inhumane because he commits atrocities
as he pleases. Nevertheless, their differences made it difficult for them to work together. Jack
executes his role in a brutal manner which sometimes interjects the schemes of Vincent.
Additionally, Jack has the tendency to protect the lesser people in his neighborhood and this
affects them at times. Vincent maintains peace by connecting with rival families and making
monetary ties which he believes facilitate unity. His move angers jack who believes in solving
issues the hard way. Despite their differences, the two cousins manage to get along and keep
their business ahead avoiding their enemies. The film narrates how the two cousins strive to
manage their business with all the risks involved and ensuring that the family is always protected
at all times.
In conclusion, the aforementioned texts and films have shown the influence of crime and
religion in the lives of Italian-Americans. The Christ in Concrete text shows how religion is
considered important but at the same time gives a shortcoming of its capacity. Paul was a
staunch believer just like many others but when his father died he expected that faith could help
revive him which was not the case. He also got disappointed with the fact that religion did not
solve the struggles he underwent through. Due to poverty. The impact of religion has also been
shown in the Paper fish text through Carmolina’s grandmother who was a Catholic believer.
When Carmolina fled from home because her disabled sister was being institutionalized, she
went through hardships. Later on, the deaths of her family members and neighbors inspired her
to change her life. The effect of crime has also been outlined in the aforementioned films, the

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 6
Sopranos, The Godfather, the Real Gangsters and the Goodfellas. In all these films, the mafia
genre has been portrayed clearly. In the Sopranos, Tony is a mob leader whose personal and
professional problems lead him to seek psychiatric help. In the godfather, the Don has a mafia
family which does not deal in drugs and prioritizes family. In the Goodfellas, we see the criminal
lives of the three friends Henry, Jimmy and Tommy. The films have shown the way crime affects
people by endangering their safety and affecting their mental health.

IMPACT OF RELIGION AND CRIME IN THE LIVES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS 7
References
Nelson, R, 2015. The sopranos. Critical studies in television, 9 (3), p. 125.
Hill, H., 2017. Gangsters and goodfellas: the mob, witness protection, and life on the run.
Rowman and Littlefield. P. 30.
Graham, P., 2016. Revisiting violence in The Godfather: The ambiguous space of the victimage
model. Journal of religion and film, 9(2), p. 2.
Tamburri, A.J., 2016. Pietro di Donato’s Christ in concrete: an Italian/American novel not set in
stone 1. LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory, 14(1), pp. 3-16.
Bona, M.J., 2018. Broken Images, Broken Lives: Carmolina’s journey in Tina de Rosa’s paper
fish. Melus, 14(3/4), pp. 87-106.
Silver, A. and Urshi, J. eds., 2017. The gangster film reader. Hai Leonard Corporation. P. 57.