Goodfellas Short Paper - Essay Example

To begin with, it would be important to pay attention to the reasons why people in New York and the main character in particular wanted to become gangsters. As Henry Hill, the protagonist, put it, he always wanted to be engaged in the criminal activity and becoming a gangster would mean for him more that becoming a successful politician. Indeed, having realized that it would be rather difficult to move up the social ladder in the conventional way, Hill leaves the school and becomes associated with the criminal world.

This kind of attitude towards the criminal activity might be explained by the fact that in the social environment where Hill grew up people had little opportunity for social mobility; that is why they viewed being involved in the criminal activity as becoming a part of something bigger which ultimately satisfied their need for climbing the social ladder. In addition to that, from the early childhood Hill knows that gangsters drive expensive cars, wear premium clothes and live in big houses – this is what he ultimately striving for.

The movie in question also brings several ideas about the role of a wife in such a family. One would make not mistake suggesting that a woman will be struggling with bringing up her children knowing that they are not able to disclose the criminal aspect of the family. However, it is also essential to consider that there is a way to bring up the children properly so that they will not be affected negatively by the activities of their father, but it involves secluding them in a limited world of their peer who come from families of the similar background.

Under these circumstances the differences between the ordinary citizens and those who belong for families that are involved in the organized crime will be eliminated. There is no mistake that a woman will not be able to live a normal life, knowing that her husband earns money illegally: this will surely limit her social network. In