Published Paper Details:

This paper examines The Godfather as a cinematic text that constructs and legitimises a specific form of hegemonic masculinity rooted in patriarchy, power, and controlled violence. Rather than reading the film merely as a crime saga, the study argues that the Corleone family operates as a microcosm of patriarchal social order in which authority is inherited, masculinity is proven through dominance, and women are systematically excluded from decision-making processes. Drawing on theories of hegemonic masculinity and patriarchal power, the paper analyzes how male identity in the film is shaped through loyalty, emotional restraint, and the capacity to command fear. Michael Corleone's transformation from a reluctant outsider to an authoritarian patriarch becomes central to understanding how masculinity is not innate but socially produced through rituals of power, silence, and control. The argument of this paper is that this film not only represents the patriarchy inherent in Italian-American cultural history, but it also glorifies patriarchy through its cinematic language, narrative strategies, and character formation. The paper also foregrounds the gendered division between the public and private spheres, where men monopolize economic and political authority while women are confined to domestic, emotional, or symbolic roles. Female characters such as Kay Adams and Connie Corleone are used to reveal the costs of this masculine order, as their autonomy is repeatedly undermined through exclusion, silencing, and violence. Methodologically, the study employs close textual and visual analysis of key scenes and character arcs, situating the film within broader historical and cultural discussions on masculinity in mid-twentieth-century Western society. By doing so, the paper argues that The Godfather does not simply depict patriarchy but normalizes it by presenting masculine domination as both inevitable and necessary for order and survival.