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Carlo Rizzi
Bonasera is a Sicilian-American undertaker who owns a successful funeral parlor. He is a long-time friend of the Corleone Family, and Don Vito Corleone and Mama Corleone are godparents to his daughter. Bonasera appears early in the novel as he observes the trial of two young men, Jerry Wagner and Kevin Moonan, who savagely beat his daughter. Because the men come from influential families, the judge suspends their sentence, effectively excusing them for their heinous crime. The outraged Bonasera attends Connie’s wedding and begs Don Vito to murder his daughter’s attackers so that she may have justice. The Don initially rebukes Bonasera for going to the police first and chastises him for his unwillingness to accept the Don’s “friendship” over the years. Understanding the disrespect that he has shown Don Vito, Bonasera apologizes and swears his eternal loyalty to him. In return, Don Vito sends Clemenza and Paulie Gatto to beat Wagner and Moonan within inches of their lives. Bonasera’s character serves as a surrogate for the reader: through the undertaker, the reader learns that to receive the Don’s services, one must swear friendship and loyalty and agree to perform a service for Don Vito in return. Later in the novel, Bonasera does just that when the Don tasks him with properly restoring Sonny Corleone’s bullet-ridden corpse for funeral display.
Amerigo Bonasera Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Amerigo Bonasera or refer to Amerigo Bonasera. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
“I believe in America. America has made my fortune.”
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Amerigo Bonasera Character Timeline in The Godfather
The timeline below shows where the character Amerigo Bonasera appears in The Godfather. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Amerigo Bonasera, a Sicilian-American undertaker, sits in a New York City courtroom awaiting the sentence of two...
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Bonasera, Fontane, and Nazorine are among hundreds who attend the August 1945 wedding of Don Vito...
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...a group of men gathered around a barrel of homemade wine. The men are Amerigo Bonasera, Luca Brasi, and Anthony Coppola. Michael explains to Kay that the men are waiting to...
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In his office, Don Corleone meets with Amerigo Bonasera, who begs the Don to murder the two men who assaulted his daughter. At first,...
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...in their black car until Jerry Wagner and Kevin Moonan, the two men who beat Bonasera’s daughter, emerge from a bar. The two mobsters jump the men and beat them nearly...
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Chapter 18
The undertaker Amerigo Bonasera is dining with his wife at home. It is evening, and he tells her he...
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Hagen tells Bonasera, “you owe the Don a service,” and instructs him to meet the Godfather at his...
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Chapter 19
...he finishes speaking, Don Corleone goes to speak with his wife, and Hagen calls Amerigo Bonasera “to redeem the favor he owed to the Corleones.”
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Chapter 29
...Consiglieres, and a small army of Don Corleone’s friends come to pay their respects. Amerigo Bonasera prepares the Don’s body for its final rest, and in this, he performs his finest...
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