A Bronx Tale
In the distressing, however often heartwarming film A Bronx Tale the dyad relationship of father and son is turned into somewhat of a triad by the presence of Sonny. The story is set in the Bronx, New York and opens in 1960. In this particular section of the Bronx the community is poor Italian American immigrants, both first and second generation. Among the walkup tenement buildings and fruit peddlers is the very strong presence of the Italian mafia. The people are immersed in do-op music, the New York Yankees and playing stickball. A young boy of about ten, Colagero, later known as 'C'�, is sitting on his stoop and witnesses the mafia boss, Sonny, shoot and kill a man in cold blood. Torn between right or wrong he knows he should not be a snitch or a 'rat'� and lies to the police about seeing the murder. His father, a bus driver, played by Robert Deniro tells his son he will understand why that lie was necessary, when he gets older. Father wants his son to have nothing to do with the 'mafia'� people; however Sonny is determined to become somewhat of a mentor to 'C'�, mostly in appreciation for the boy protecting him. Sonny even offers the father a job running numbers for the mob, but Dad wants nothing to do with 'those people'�. Little by little C becomes more and more in gambling and doing chores for the mob at their 'social club'�. Of course the manifest function of the Mafia is for them to make money through that life of crime. Ironically a latent function is the security a neighborhood feels because they feel protected by their own. However this protection and false sense of security is acquired through 'FEAR'�. This presents food for thought when sociologically looking at the situation by the means of the research model of identifying the problem and formulating a hypothesis. Fast forward eight years. C is now almost 18 years old. He and his buddies are acting the tough guy persona in the neighborhood. Sonny has had C under his wing all of these years, in spite of the father's objections. Although a Mafia boss, Sonny does give C solid advice on several issues throughout the film. He tells C to stay out of trouble and to continue with his education. He is the only person C feels that he can turn to when he develops a crush on a black girl at school. Racism is blatant throughout the film. C's friends hate blacks and refer to them as niggers all of the time. One friend, Slick, doesn't want them bussed through the neighborhood or driving through. Once when some blacks were bicycle riding through the neighborhood, Slick and the gang beat them badly. C tried to help the blacks, but he was always confronted by the peer pressure of his friends.

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