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Intermission #3 - "La Cosa Nostra"

Nicotine

on April 16, 2011

(Comments from the last page are answered in the comments section!)

So, welcome to Intermission #3, take a seat! This one is a (abbreviated, very abbreviated!) explainations on American Italian crime families and, of course, the Trapani family which is show throughout this story. Once again, I'll stick to Wiki links because they're easy to obtain and follow. Furthermore, this is (luckily) not a research project :D.

First off, I'll start with a general explanation of the Mafia (aka La Cosa Nostra). The word Mafia doesn't imply a singular Family like the Trapani family, but an association of families like it. I've been focusing a lot on the Trapani family, but it has been implied (and will be often in the future) that the Trapani family is associated with and rivals of other families. Clearly, the Trapani family's base is New York City where they commit most of their crimes.

These crime families originated mostly from Sicily, and when their members began to migrate to America during the 19th century (much like Giuseppe did in the 1890's), they brought their customs to the boroughs of big cities like NYC, forming systems of protection among the Italian community. This system of protection was mainly when people would pay tribute to the Family in order for physical protection or other benefits.

During the 1920's, the NYC Mafia scene was ruled mainly by the Maranzano and the Masseria families, followed by the big "Five Families" in the late 20's and 1930's. For the sake of fiction, I haven't included or mentioned these families in TRK.

In order to join an Italian Mafia family in the 1920's, one had to go through a number of rituals. In order to even be considered as a member, one had to be 1) male, 2) Sicilian (you may not notice, but I've chosen only Sicilian names for the Trapani family members), 3) not be associated in any way with the law enforcement (ex. Having a father who is a lawyer), 4)Prove loyalty to the family in some way. Before joining a Family, one is considered an associate. If the aforementioned requirements, they are allowed to undergo the ritual (which includes a blood oath) to be come an official member of "made man". Every "made man" is meant to follow Omerta, which is comprised of many "manly" rules.

Once one is a made man, they become a "soldato", a low ranking member of the family who many does dirty work along with other soldatos in a "crew". Soldatos can be promoted to the rank of "caporegime". These "capos" are the leaders of crews who get kickbacks of money from their soldiers and in turn kick money up to the three main bosses. These "capos" are also in charge of various rackets or organized crimes. "Capos" who are closer to the boss in relationship tend to enjoy more power, for example, Marcello is engaged to Ophelia (Giuseppe's daughter), so he has a little more privilege than the others of his rank.

Lastly, there are the three top and most powerful members of a Family: the Consigliere, Underboss, and Boss. The Consigliere is behind the Underboss in rank, but is shown as level with the Boss because he gives the Boss extensive advice which influences the Family in a big way, and also serves as a mediator. The Underboss is usually the Boss' successor. The Underboss may be in charge of running the daily affairs of the family and overseeing various rackets. However, the Underboss may occasionally be a figurehead (clearly, this is not the case with Ettore!). The Boss overseas all the activities of the family and keeps the members in line, yet this is becoming difficult for Giuseppe in the Trapani family due to his current fight with lung cancer.

Hope you enjoyed this Intermission! :D