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Bullets, Bada Bing and Beatitudes
“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those that hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well” The Catholicism within the mob genre is a theoretical “given” similar to the “givens’ of Euclidian geometry. Through their Mafia connection more than any other avenue, the ceremonies and iconographic representations of the Roman Catholic Church have held a prominent place in the history of film and TV. There is perhaps no clearer example than Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. While Michael Corleone watches the baptism of his godchild, many of his family enemies are being assassinated. Not only does Corleone have an alibi, but the alibi is shrouded in religious ritual. The “godfather” is also a godfather in a truly religious manner. Even within a comedic Mafia film like Oscar (1991), the viewer cannot separate faith and mobsters. In this film, Angelo “Snaps’ Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) promises his father, who is on his deathbed and is being attended to by a priest, that he will abandon his life of crime. Needless to say, by the film’s end Snaps is back in business after a shrug and a statement that he ‘really tried.” The film culminates in a wedding ceremony with the priest who officiated at the father’s death now officiating at the wedding of Snap’s daughter.
While there is no doubt that the recent social phenomenon of HBO’s The Sopranos is predicated upon the general appeal of mob dramas, there are other elements of the show that clearly resonate with those who are not ‘mob aficionados.” The matrimonial difficulties between Tony and Carmela Soprano; the tension and angst of youth and the sibling relationship between Meadow and Anthony Jr.; the exploration of cultural identity within the ‘melting-pot” motif of American society; and the examination of characters within (and outside) the judicial system are all examples of why we watch and what we find interesting about the show. For me, one of the most fascinating elements of the Sopranos is its ethical religious examination of “being” in the existential sense of the word. Being, living, functioning, relating and negotiating with (and within) the world-as-it-is creates a dramatic tension reminiscent of the finest existentialist texts of our recent path. The Sopranos evokes connections with Sartre’s No Exit, Camus‘ The Plague, and Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Onto Death. All of the characters within the show have been forced to grapple with and engage their own ’self” in relation to the world, and the conclusions of their examinations have been as varied and as complex as the pluralism of ‘real life” frequently demonstrates. It is important, I believe, to note that The Sopranos had been in production before the film Analyze This in order to understand how new and exciting this conceptualization of the mob genre was in relation to prior mob texts. The very premise of the show, a mob boss that seeks counseling, speaks directly to the existentialist quality of the writing and the moralistic nature of the show. According to The Sopranos producer and creator, David Chase, “[T]here’s something about [Tony Soprano] which is sort of very "Everyman," lovable, repellent, confusing, contradictory.” The “Everyman” that Chase refers to is a medieval morality play, frequently considered one of the first plays written in English. Performed in the vernacular of the day, the morality plays attempted to teach the virtues of a “good” life to all people (not simply an elite audience). Similarly, The Sopranos does not shy away from using street language and relies heavily upon cinema verite to connect the celluloid world to reality. The protagonist of Everyman is exactly what Tony is: an exemplar of every human being.
We no longer have a mob protagonist who acts coolly and calmly in the face of territory wars and power plays. Instead, we discover the depth of humanity at its worst and finest moments. Between bullets and the Bada Bing, there lies the possibility of actualizing the beatitudes. Tony Soprano demonstrates to the world an oft forgotten reality - within the sinner there is the “good.” No longer is the mob protagonist a fallen angel without the moral capacity for judgment and irremediable to society at large. Tony Soprano reinforces this very Catholic belief in the nature of humanity and reinforces our pathos with his world and, perhaps more importantly, his being. Within the Roman Catholic conceptualization of being, all humanity is flawed due to original sin; the sinner, however, is always redeemable. There is no pre-destination of the soul since free will is part and parcel of understanding human ethical premises and conclusions within the faith. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ‘there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning.” Perhaps more interesting is that the Catechism also states that ‘the right to exercise this freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authorities within the limits of the common good and public order.” Tony can speak freely within the confines of Dr. Melfi’s office without fear of his conversations becoming state’s evidence (on the condition, of course that she have no clear knowledge of his causing harm to himself or others). Her office exemplifies the reason why physicians — and perhaps more relevantly, the clergy — can minister healing without the secular world of law intervening. If they cannot work freely with those afflicted with physical and/or spiritual ills, the “common good” is not being served. Indeed, if the tormented body or soul has no opportunity to reflect, be diagnosed, or heal, the individual is deprived of space to negotiate the reality that many choices we make are wrong or evil. We would, as a society, condemn the individual person to no mercy, and ultimately, to no hope. Obviously, there are parallels between the sacrament of penance (i.e. confession) and modern psychotherapy.
Tony Soprano is clearly an individual who continuously chooses evil and commits capital sins. However, one can glimpse the start of moral thought developing and redefining itself through his characterization over two seasons. In order to understand if an action is good or evil from a Catholic perspective, one must examine three conditional ’sources’: the object chosen, the intention, and the circumstances of the action. Whereas in the earlier episodes Tony previously justified his actions to Dr. Melfi through a quasi-primordial intent of “caring” for his family, frequently the object and the circumstances of his action dictated his behavior as being obviously immoral. James Gandolfini looks at his character, Tony Soprano, as “a guy who always tries to do the right thing in his mind, which ends up screwing up everybody’s life.” The road to hell is, indeed, paved with good intentions. The way in which an individual garners a moral conscience is actualized in two ways. First, one need only look within to understand if one’s conscience is, indeed, acting toward the “good.” But also, and this is more relevant to the character of Tony Soprano, the Catechism argues for a more interactive process: [T]he education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.
One need only examine the numerous conversations between Dr. Melfi and Tony Soprano to understand that the educative process of the development of moral conscience was stunted by the instability and depressive nature of Livia Soprano (Tony’s mother) and the violent example provided by Tony’s father. Tony was not provided with the proper environment or educative structure to negotiate the world of moral decision making, and this was further exacerbated by his refusal to be introspective and examine the self. Dr. Melfi, in a sense, acts as educator and catalyst for Tony’s transition toward the development of moral behavior. Again, the philosophy of being, structured by Roman Catholic thinking, is demonstrated within the confines of a secular institution. Perhaps more importantly, Melfi understands full well that Tony Soprano was not given the proper tools with which to construct a moral edifice. For example, one consistent tension played out during Season Two was Melfi’s attempt to come to terms with why she continued to assist Tony despite the obvious harm caused and the toll that his therapy took on her personal life. Here, Melfi substitutes the numerous mortal sins of Tony with all three of the theological virtues: She holds faith that Tony will gain moral conscience, she exudes hope that her interventions will culminate in his psychic/spiritual health, and she demonstrates the virtue of charity through taking on the task of ministering (albeit in the secular setting of psychoanalysis) to an individual whom no other person wishes to assist. The presence of Catholic social thought presents itself throughout the process of Tony’s ‘recovery” and actualization of self vis a vis the psychoanalytical process. While shrouded within the secular world of mental health, the very interaction between Tony and his physician replicates both the substance and message of Catholicism in relation to sin and salvation. So much of the recent fascination with The Sopranos centers around its ability to create sympathy for characters who are so obviously, on one level, morally corrupt. By contextualizing the role of Catholicism in the series, however, this apparent paradox unravels. Tony is just getting in touch with his spiritual side. Enter the Culture Clash Related Sites |
