Goodfellas
...nry Hill, the oldest son, had other things in mind. He was a young delinquent but he made lots of money. School was never a theme in Henry’s life. He ditched school everyday and worked for a local store, which is owned by a mob leader. After working for a couple of weeks, Henry now returned home with suits and gator boots instead of jeans and ripped shoes. His father would occasionally beat him for his ways but Henry just got immune to the pain. As he matures, he always had a gangster mentality. Stealing, killing and hustling were an everyday thing. He grew up in the ghetto and went the wrong direction. This is similar to many of the other kids who grew up in ghettos all over America. I myself witnessed this in the ghetto. Many of my friends grew up to a similar lifestyle of Henrys’. It was tough living a childhood in Long Beach. Life’s motto was do what you have to do no matter what it was. This mindset and mentality also lead their lives to be criminals. Henry is always energetic and can never sit still. He is always on the move and always has something to do. This is representative of the fast life lived here in America. At a diner sitting, Henry is eating desert while the crowd eats dinner and asking for the check when they are eating desert. He is always franticly trying to flip the drugs he has fast. Time is money; everything has to be done quickly. It seems as if the faster things are done profits are maximized. In the United States this is illustrated through most service business. The faster you want your item serviced on the more you will have to pay. Throughout American history this is a frequent theme. The gang was controlled and advised by Pualie Cicero, consisted of many men who were dangerous. There were Jimmy, Tommy, Vinny, and Henry. They were the crew and would do anything for each other. These friends illustrated how the bond of a gang can be so strong. They controlled almost everything in the city. Easily robbing different delivery trucks, which contained things such as shrimp, steaks, cigarettes, etc. They stole anything you can think of. They would sell it to friends and people who lived in the neighborhood and make plenty of money. Reminiscent of how Robin Hood would steal from the rich and give to the poor. In the show The Sopranos, characters contained the same personality as Paulie and his crew. Tony Soprano, leader of the pack, had responsibilities towards his community similar to what Paulie had. The gang now had a big money gig and everybody was in on it. They had a mission to dispossess an aircraft containing cash between 2 to 4 million dollars. This was called the ‘Lufthansa Heist’. Everybody in the mafia couldn’t wait for the adventure to begin. They were exited and when it happened, it was a thing of beauty. There were problems that occurred with a couple of the members and the problem was taken care of, they got ‘whacked’ or killed. Jimmy, the leader of the mission, is holding the money and is slightly sharing miserly. Jimmy and Henry are very close and will always have each other’s back. Jimmy is now eliminating everybody connected to the ‘Lufthansa Heist’ and will soon own all the money. This goes to show how you can trust no one and how risks and rewards are always connected to making money. The best examples of this theory are drugs. It is illegal and forbidden but there is a high demand for it. The reward in this market rapidly increases at an exponential rate. Drug dealers collect this reward in the form of cash. Every penny of profit goes into their pockets without paying any taxes. The risk to this business is major prison time. In America, it seems as if the bigger the risk, the better the reward. The wives of these guys were proud of what they did and loved them for it. Mink coats and Cadillacs were being bought like they were toys. They loved the lifestyle even though none of it was legitimately. The women helped and always kept everything within each other and never spilling anything. They would hide weapons, secrets from friends and even hardcore drugs. They sometimes had the urge to do things their husbands did. For example, Henry’s wife threatens to take his life at gunpoint for adultery. She then forgives him and apologizes. These women appreciated the life; they appreciated their culture. All the while this is happening, Henry is dealing cocaine with a connection from Pittsburgh and making lots of money. He is dealing with large amounts and transporting from state to state. His business is going so good that he was forced to ask Jimmy and Tommy to help him out. They are persuaded easily, as they know the term of contract is all about money. The risks are big, but they don’t care. Henry uses many tools and techniques to operate his business. He has a girlfriend who is a cocaine attic and will do anything for him to get a good, and free fix. He cuts and breaks the drugs down at her place while she gives him a helping hand. All he has to do for her is occasionally tell her that he loves her. Henry also uses family members to convoy the drug, through airports with a baby and his bag as a decoy. Money is always an important factor in everybody’s life. Lifestyle is almost solely determined and justified by their socioeconomic status. The value of currency sometimes overcasts th...