Welcome to the Boards, Sinister with your very well thought out analysis of Michael. Ditto for you Danito...the two of you are reinvigorating comments and observations that have been made in a very positive way, and I look forward to more from both of you.

One aspect of Michael's life that differs from his father's is that Michael starts his life with everything and he ends it with nothing.

With Vito, a refugee from his own country, put in an isolation ward for his first months in America we have someone who builds friendships, businesses (legal and not) a family, a circle of friends, associates, wealth and power.

The arc of Michael's life is exactly the opposite. He begins his life with everything, and systematically it all gets taken away. He must forsake Kay because he has to save the family by killiing Sollozzo. He loses his wife Appolonia to a car bomb intended for him. His older brother and the heir apparent to the family is killed. At the time of his father's death he is betrayed by one of his father's oldest friends, and he knows his brother in law set up his brother'd murder. He is later betrayed by his onbly surviving brother, and for a time is estranged from his sister.

Someone with this much in his life is bound to shut down and show no emotion whether he feels anything or not.