Who is Michael Corelone...now?

     Since Michael killed Sollozo and McCluskey, he has totally changed as a person.  He seems to have gained more power and this is evident because Michael's values, beliefs and ethics are very different from what they used to be.  He was never interested in crime, but now he is and he also seemed like someone who would never do anything to hurt anyone else.  After Michael killed the two men, he left his family and ventured off to the town, Corleone.  There, he met dated and married a girl named Apollonia.  As we know, Michael is still actually in a relationship with Kay.  The last time Michael was with Kay he said, "you may never see me again."  Looking back on that scene, it was never clear whether he broke up with her or not and maybe Coppolla did this indirectly so that the audience could figure it out for themselves. In the beginning of this film, it never seemed like Michael would do anything behind Kay's back. Also, it was clear that the family business was never interesting to Michael; it never appealed to him because he wasn't okay with crime and he didn't like it.  Michael was the most kind-hearted person of the family and suddenly he has become this powerful, and different individual.  I still think he only became interested in crime to protect his father however, he continues to follow this path.

     One scene that really stood out to me when watching the Godfather was when they brought Don Corelone home from the hospital, the first words that came out of his mouth were, "where is Michael?"  When the Tom told his father where Michael was, Don began to cry.  Now, this scene was important to me because maybe the Don valued the fact that Michael was so moral and maybe he liked that Michael was different than everyone else.  However, Michael could have changed to fit in with the family and to be honored by his father.  Perhaps, Michael wanted to be more like Don as the way he acts portrays this idea.  The scene where Michael had gone to visit his father in the hospital could lead to the person he is now.  There was one key thing that Michael said that night; he said, “I’m with you now.”  When Michael said this, the Don began to cry and smile, but it’s hard to tell whether Michael was indicating that he would be there to protect his dad, or if he was going to become apart of the Mafia. 
 
    In conclusion, Michael Corleone has portrayed many characteristics which show how he could be the next Don.  His actions show and give signs that he could be the next Godfather however, he never talks about or indicates that he wants this to happen.  Though Michael did change from the person he was in the beginning of the film, maybe he did this because he knows that he is next line and maybe he knew that it was time for him to represent his family.