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"Very rich" Tom?
#511194
09/23/08 02:04 PM
09/23/08 02:04 PM
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
Turnbull
OP
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OP
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
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After Vito returned from the hospital to comfort the dying Genco, Puzo writes, "...he informed Hagen that he was now officially the new consigliere to the Family. This meant that Hagen was sure to become a very rich man, to say nothing of power."
This raises a question:
Mafia's all about power and money. We see plenty of power being exercised by Vito, Michael and Tom (on occasion). But I don't recall reading (or seeing in the films) any evidence that Tom was "very rich." If anything, he seemed like a 24x7 family retainer. I inferred that he lived at the Mall, and certainly his and his family's needs were taken care of. But "very rich"? For that matter, while I don't doubt that Vito had great wealth, I don't think money motivated him. His primary motivation seemed to be about achieving security and independence for himself and his family by acquiring a strong base of power and influence.
Your thoughts?
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Turnbull]
#511196
09/23/08 02:21 PM
09/23/08 02:21 PM
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22,902
New York
SC
Consigliere
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Consigliere
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 22,902
New York
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For that matter, while I don't doubt that Vito had great wealth, I don't think money motivated him. His primary motivation seemed to be about achieving security and independence for himself and his family by acquiring a strong base of power and influence.
Your thoughts? I don't think Vito's motivating force was money either, but it sure was a (nice) by-product of whatever did motivate him. I suspect Tom did fairly well and probably invested his money very conservatively.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: SC]
#511202
09/23/08 03:13 PM
09/23/08 03:13 PM
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
Turnbull
OP
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OP
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
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For that matter, while I don't doubt that Vito had great wealth, I don't think money motivated him. His primary motivation seemed to be about achieving security and independence for himself and his family by acquiring a strong base of power and influence.
Your thoughts? I don't think Vito's motivating force was money either, but it sure was a (nice) by-product of whatever did motivate him. I suspect Tom did fairly well and probably invested his money very conservatively. I heard he put it all in Lehman shares. 
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu,
E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu...
E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu
Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Turnbull]
#511212
09/23/08 04:08 PM
09/23/08 04:08 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 599
Toronto, Ontario
dontommasino
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 599
Toronto, Ontario
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After Vito returned from the hospital to comfort the dying Genco, Puzo writes, "...he informed Hagen that he was now officially the new consigliere to the Family. This meant that Hagen was sure to become a very rich man, to say nothing of power."
This raises a question:
Mafia's all about power and money. We see plenty of power being exercised by Vito, Michael and Tom (on occasion). But I don't recall reading (or seeing in the films) any evidence that Tom was "very rich." If anything, he seemed like a 24x7 family retainer. I inferred that he lived at the Mall, and certainly his and his family's needs were taken care of. But "very rich"? For that matter, while I don't doubt that Vito had great wealth, I don't think money motivated him. His primary motivation seemed to be about achieving security and independence for himself and his family by acquiring a strong base of power and influence.
Your thoughts?
Dreams sometimes do not come to reality. That line may have been put there by Puzo to explain the importance and stature of the consigliere position. But, Tom obviously wasn't your typical consigliere being German-Irish. I will say this, "money and power" seem the very anti-thesis of the Hagen character. He objects to being demoted from consigliere, however (on the surface) appears to take it like a man.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Turnbull]
#511229
09/23/08 06:04 PM
09/23/08 06:04 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,325
MI
Lilo
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,325
MI
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I don't think that money motivated Vito as much as the other things you mention. But he wasn't an ascetic either. For him money was a means to an end.
As far as Tom being rich or becoming rich upon his elevation, as consigliere he would know everything or almost everything that Vito knew about the Family. He would get a piece of just about all the rackets. Tom would be privy to some of the bigger business deals that the caporegimes didn't know about or weren't part of ( real estate, banking, brokerage houses, recording companies, various white collar crimes, the Nevada hospital, any shipping company that worked with Roth, etc)
But just as Vito was low key so was Tom. So any wealth he did have was probably not shown off. In training Tom for the position, Vito would have stressed over and over and over again the need to keep a low profile.
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming
Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Lilo]
#512324
09/29/08 03:11 AM
09/29/08 03:11 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,718
Berlin, Germany
Danito
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,718
Berlin, Germany
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I think money, Vito knew the value of money for two reasons: 1. He grew up as a very poor man. 2. He quickly understood that money was a means to buy power, which is one of the motifs of "The Godfather", both film and book. Vito believes: If democracy is corrupt, I'd be a fool if I wouldn't play the game of the big shots. Tom obviously wasn't your typical consigliere being German-Irish In the novel he's German, but they refer to him as Irish.
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Danito]
#512358
09/29/08 12:04 PM
09/29/08 12:04 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 599
Toronto, Ontario
dontommasino
Underboss
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Underboss
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 599
Toronto, Ontario
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I think money, Vito knew the value of money for two reasons: 1. He grew up as a very poor man. 2. He quickly understood that money was a means to buy power, which is one of the motifs of "The Godfather", both film and book. Vito believes: If democracy is corrupt, I'd be a fool if I wouldn't play the game of the big shots. Tom obviously wasn't your typical consigliere being German-Irish , but they refer to him as Irish. Then someone explain how his last name is Hagen?
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Re: "Very rich" Tom?
[Re: Turnbull]
#512843
10/01/08 04:36 PM
10/01/08 04:36 PM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 839
Elmwood Park, Illinois
YoTonyB
Neighborhood Guy
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Neighborhood Guy
Underboss
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 839
Elmwood Park, Illinois
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Michael says to Fabrizio, "Take my wife ... PLEASE!"
And Solazzo says to Michael, "Take my life ... PLEASE!"
Thank you, you're a good crowd, remember to tip your waiters and waitresses, try the veal, there's a matinee on Saturday, it's all ages on Sunday, I'm in the Catskills in August, Chicago in September, Las Vegas in October ...
tony b.
"Kid, these are my f**kin' work clothes."
"You look good in them golf shoes. You should buy 'em"
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