Mama Corleone Character Analysis

Mama Corleone, whose first name does not appear in the novel, is the wife of Don Vito Corleone and the mother of Sonny, Fredo, Michael, and Connie. Born in Sicily, Mama Corleone immigrates to New York in the early 20th century, where she marries Vito at a young age. Her role in the novel is that of a passive homemaker and devout Catholic who cares for her children and has no role in her husband’s criminal operations. Unlike the articulate Vito, Mama Corleone speaks with a heavy, stereotypical Italian accent and is a largely voiceless character, further attesting to her relative unimportance as a character in a world in which men hold compete power in both personal and professional matters. Despite her minor role, however, Puzo indicates that Mama Corleone is well aware of the reality of her husband’s “business” and merely chooses to be silent about it.