Originally posted by Sicilian Babe:
I think that the Senator was just supposed to be representative of the Don's political muscle. Luca Brasi, however, was there to illustrate how a man like Vito, who is portrayed as someone to like and admire, runs "that" side of the business. It is also to show how he gains the loyalty of such a man. The Senator? His loyalty is simply purchased, hence no interesting story.
Right, SB! In fact, I think the phrase used in the novel was something to the effect that the Senator, like Luca, was one of the Don's great building blocks. I think Puzo wrote it that way to make the point you made: that the Don's power rested on two kinds of muscle--violence and politics.
Enzo makes a good point about the Don regarding Luca as a "friend." In the movie, he even calls Luca "my most
valued friend" [emphasis in original]. What does it say about the Don's "values" that he regards someone like Luca as his "most valued friend"? In the novel, Michael asks him about this, saying something like, "Why did you need Luca...an animal like that?" The Don replies to the effect that there are crazy people in the world who run around shouting "kill me, kill me." They can be used to advantage--which is what he did with Luca. That exchange put a bit more realistic spin on the Don's relationship with Luca.
