Originally posted by svsg:
Was there any possibility of Vitelli refusing to allow michael marry his daughter? I always wondered why Vitelli would allow his innocent daughter to be married off to a mobster (unless ofcourse he feared that michael would kill him otherwise).
I think Michael's proposal somehow honored the Vitellis. Plus there obviously was an implied threat too: Michael's position and name were threatening per se. The Corleones should have been known and respected quite well in Sicily too (that's why Michael was sent to Sicily, I believe). Marrying a Corleone would have escalate the Vitellis' prestige, recognition and power.
