Hello Belle!

One must realize that back in those days, especially within the Italian culture, it was preffered by the old fashioned Italian men that they have boys. If a father produced a son, he was real man because he was able to "make" a boy! Boys who would carry on the family name, carry on the family business, etc. I am not condoning this way of thinking at all, but the old school Italian men ( along with many other cultures ) had this frame of mind. That is the way it was. Pertaining to Michael's thoughts, this old fashioned way of thinking by the Italains was applied to him in this movie, along with the fact that he was The Don of a family, he had only one son at the time and in his mind it would be better to have another to carry on The Corleone name along with his brother. Even in legitimacy it would be good in Mike's mind if two son's could bring the family name into the legitimate world as successes. But no matter what his thoughts or feelings were about having a son, it also showed the coldness that Micahel had developed. Not being concerned that his wife had gone through a miscarriage, but being more concerned that he lost the oportunity to have another son to carry on for him! Almost giving the veiwer the message that if it had been a girl that had been miscarried, it would have been ok then! Yes, cold and definately grounds for divorce in this day and age!

Don Cardi