At the scene of Pop's b-day on the day of Pearl Harbour attack, Michael faced anger and disbelief of his family (except Fredo ...
) because of his decision to join the army (or navy? not so sure) to go to war.
Tom then said that Vito had already made some plans for Mike's future.
I think I read somewhere in the book that this plan would put Michael involved in the family business. Now we know that Vito planned Fredo to be stepped over by his kid brother, but Sonny to be stepped over by Michael? I don't think so. Sonny wouldn't let that happenned.
On the other hand, Vito, considering Sonny's hot-headed and his blinded judgement due to temper, would absolutely prefer Michael to handle the family because of his clear rational calm way of handling things.
So my current opinion is that what Tom was implying that Vito had made plans for Michael, means that Michael to be the consiglieri of the family. That's why he let Michael to get high education to study (again, not so sure whether he studied law at college. Do you need to study law to become a good consiglieri?)
But then I think the plans changed after Michael decided to be the outsider of the family business. Vito, feeling useless of thinking Michael's to change his mind to the family business, drew out another plan for Michael's future. He didn't want Michael to have anything to do with the business. At the garden scene he told Mike "I never wanted this for you". He imagined Mike to be governor, senator sort (cmiiw, penozzovante means person in high political position in government / bureaucracy? I always want to know what this exactly means). The thing is, I don't think you can be governor / senator with rumours spread around that your DIRECT family is in the organized crime (do I sound as naive as Kay...?
) Alright, political people on the top may have some connections with the mob, but it wouldn't advertise you so much to be a senator if it is your direct family that is in the mob.
So those are my points, please enlighten me:
1) original plan for Mike was to be consiglieri.
2) revised plan was to be high level politician, but then how he coped with his direct family being in the mob.
3) what is penozzovante(sp) really.
