Sonny and Michael are brothers, friends and character foils. There are many examples of how they are character foils throughout the movie and I will highlight them. First, however, what is a character foil? A character foil is two characters that are put into the same situation but choose different paths -- highlighting their differences. The first instance that we get a sense of them is during the wedding at the beginning of the movie. Sonny is busy having sex with another woman while Michael is relaxed, quiet and not as hands on. Sonny is shown as the aggressive one while Michael is the reserved one.
Sonny is a brash, over-reactive person. This is shown when Connie is getting beaten by her husband. Without thinking, he rushes off to defend her without thinking. Michael has shown that he would have thought about what could happen and then act appropriately. Sonny has a huge temper that gets the best of him sometimes and ultimately led to his death. Michael, on the other hand, has shown that he is more of a thinker. This is best shown when he volunteers himself to kill McClusky and Sollozzo.
Michael is the only one that understands the situation that the family is in. Vito is in the hospital and Sollozzo's men have just tried to assassinate him. Sonny's brash, over-reacting personality is, for once, not affecting his decision. Michael, however, has analyzed the situation that they are in and realizes that there is no other way out of this mess. He understands the consequences of his decision and Sonny is being the reserved one. Understanding the consequences and the situation was able to help Michael make a case for killing both of the men and convince Tom and Sonny that killing the men is the only option. By always thinking before reacting, Michael is the foil for Sonny.
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