Puzo, throughout the novel, uses his diction in very straight-forward ways, but nonetheless uses very strong and situation-appropriate diction in order to create stronger scenes and to bolster his writing. In his description of Freddie Corleone’s reaction to the shooting of his father, Puzo uses heavy diction, writing that his weeping “was a curiously comical sight, because of his tough, Cupid-featured face, heavy nose and thick mouth smeared with snot” (79). In describing Freddie in such a way, it is established that such a scene is odd, perhaps uncommon, contributing to the sheer shock of the Don being shot, and reinforcing the respect which he receives. As the war between the mafia groups escalated to the point of wide-scale murder, Puzo describes it with words such as “raids”, “auxillaries”, “massacred”, “allegiance”, and “neutral” (276). In using such words to describe the battle between the groups, the war-like conditions are exaggerated and displayed prominently, serving to improve the readers’ perception of the tension and violence which occurred as a direct result of the feud which ran between them. As Michael moves to Sicily, among the vast majority of sections in the novel, there is a preponderance of Italian words used for effect, such as “caporegime”, “omerta”, and “gabbellotto” (345). Through the usage of Italian to punctuate the rest of the story, Puzo attempts to authenticate the plot somewhat by mentioning the phrases which the mafia members in real life would be liable to use. Furthermore, the Italian also reminds the reader that the Mafia members are members of an inner circle of people that support each other, much like any other ethnicity, completely out of place in their current location.
This is truly insightful analysis. I agree completely with the statement that the diction was entirely appropriate. Puzo certainly does have masterful control over the weight of his diction and can render it "heavy", nay, pregnantly elephantine, with but a few deft pen strokes. I also thought the parallels between the mafia and the military were aptly drawn with Puzo's martial diction. Perhaps, it is a critique on the illegality of any use of force. If indeed, you are saying that Puzo is a pacifist this is nothing short of genius. As for his use of Italian throughout the novel, are you sure this is a stylistic measure and not simply a lack of English vocabulary. Interpreting it through that lens may yield interesting results. (I jest)
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