Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri

Although the show is full of engaging personalities, there is surely no one more entertaining than the murderous crown prince of the show Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri. Born Peter Paul Gualtieri (revealed by Ralphie when he prank calls Paulie’s mother), Paulie is destined for the criminal life from a very young age. During a conversation with principal “Chuckie” Signore, Paulie reveals he dropped out of school in the ninth grade. Paulie began working for Tony’s father Johnny Soprano when he 17, and has worked as an enforcer for the Soprano family for most of his adult life.

In season one Paulie tells Christopher he spent a “few years in the army, a few more in the can, and now here he was half a wiseguy.” Upon further investigation, we learn that Paulie spent four years in the Army signal corps (revealed when he is beating on a DVD player with his shoe in Season 1) and was eventually discharged for psychiatric reasons on a section 8. Returning to New Jersey, he once again works with Johnny Soprano. Over the years Paulie relates many colorful anecdotes from this time in his life, including throwing hot oil on a man from a food stand, being dosed with acid and seeing colorful visions of laser beams coming out of Junior’s eyes, and being beaten by a policeman after being pranked by Johnny on a southern road trip. Paulie got his nickname “Walnuts” when a truck he hijacked he believed contained television sets contained only Walnuts instead.

Paulie is prone to bizarre beliefs, superstitions, and eccentricities, and has some deep religious convictions despite the fact he has committed numerous murders over the years. He is also germaphobic and laments things such as his shoelaces touching the ground in the men’s room. He is often shown washing his hands, and can be meticulous about his clothing and appearance, as we see him at various times steam cleaning his suits and getting manicures. Despite the fact he makes large amounts of money for his various criminal enterprises, he clips coupons and leaves his furniture wrapped in plastic. Improbably, Paulie reveals to Tony he too has seen a psychiatrist, where he reported he learned some “coping skills,” which is quite humorous given his continual acts of impulsivity and violent tantrums.

Although Paulie is in Tony’s circle of most trusted advisors, he is occasionally given menial tasks to do by Tony, which nearly always results in hilarious misadventures. An example of this comes in the first season when Tony assigns Paulie and Big Pussy to find his son’s teacher’s car, which begins with a hard target search of a number of Starbuck’s franchises. Paulie becomes infuriated seeing how successful these stores have become, as he feels Italian coffee culture has been robbed to make all of it possible. As an act of defiance for this perceived insult, Paulie shoplifts an espresso machine from one of the locations.

Despite his now advanced age, Paulie also shows his chops as an enforcer in the first season when he and Silvio attempt to get a Jewish motel owner to grant his wife a divorce. Paulie, not understanding the intricacies of the man’s orthodox dress, slams the hotel bell into his head repeatedly after saying “listen here you weirdo fuck,” but is still unable to extract what he needs from him. Later he is assigned to decipher if Big Pussy is wearing a wire, but his awkward insistence that Pussy take his clothes off only increases his suspicions and sends Pussy into hiding.

In the second season, Paulie fulfills a lifelong dream when he accompanies Tony to Italy, but he is met with resistance at nearly every turn. When he attempts to celebrate the fact that he and an Italian prostitute have their origins in the same town, she shrugs with disinterest, which causes him to refer to her as a “fucking twat” under his breath. Further disappointments occur from there. His attempt to order spaghetti and meatballs is met with confusion, and his hosts refer to him as a “classless piece of shit” in Italian. He looks hurt, confused and personally betrayed by the prospect of using a bidet, and is unable to use this in public.

He can’t even get a response from the locals when he attempts to

 use his new favorite word, “commendatori” in conversation, and he again whispers an insult under his breath (this time “cocksuckers”) when they refuse to even say hello to him. He attempts one last greeting to an old man, who also insults him, which is Paulie’s final humiliation in the country he holds so dear. Despite these repeated rejections, he arrives back home and rubs the visit in Big Pussy’s face, informing him, “I feel sorry for anyone who has never been, especially Italians.”

Another hilarious event occurs in the second season when Christopher informs Paulie that during a vision he had during his coma, he, Paulie and Tony wind up in hell together and that 3:00 would be a significant time in their lives. Paulie at first dismisses this with a hilarious explanation of purgatory and religious math, but is later haunted by this declaration, which results in repeated nightmares where he is dragged into hell. This all culminates in a visit to a psychic, where more hilarity soon ensues.

While at the psychic, it is revealed that a number of Paulie’s murder victims have joined together in the afterlife in collaboration against him, which sends Paulie into a rage where he attacks the psychic, smashes a chair, and rails out loud at his ghosts, calling them “fucking queers.” He gives one last speech about how the whole thing is “satanic black magic,” but he is clearly rattled by the experience. Later he berates his family priest for not protecting him from this haunting, as he believes he has earned this protection through his ongoing donations to the church, which he now angrily refuses to continue with.

In the third season, we see the relationship between Paulie and his sometime protégé Christopher take shape, and their interactions escalate in some unpredictable directions. At first, we see Paulie as a supportive and encouraging figure in Christopher’s life, and it looks like their working relationship is going to be fruitful and productive. Things quickly turn, however, and Christopher’s resentment of Paulie’s management techniques result in Paulie escalating his supervision of Christopher even further.

An example of this is found when Paulie begins to subject Chris to random strip searches to see if he’s wearing a wire. Paulie uses this opportunity to mock Christopher’s penis size, and Christopher’s rage at this ritual only makes Paulie more creative in his hazing. One night he drops by Christopher’s house in the middle of the night with Patsy Parisi and helps himself to his “taste” of whatever Christopher makes. An already fuming Chris sees Paulie take a pair of Adriana’s panties out of her drawer and sniff them, which leaves Chris seething with helpless rage as Paulie continues to help himself to things around the house.

Things come to a head during the episode “Pine Barrens,” when Paulie’s arrogance finally catches up with him. On a simple collection mission with Christopher, Paulie insults the man, smashes his remote control, and finally attacks him, which leads to a series of unfortunate events culminating in the Russian man being wrapped in a carpet and placed in the trunk to be buried in the woods. When it turns out the Russian is still alive, he escapes from Paulie and Christopher, and they spend the night in the woods together growing increasingly more irritable with each other.

Tony eventually comes and rescues the two of them, but this marks a turning point in Tony and Paulie’s relationship that will have serious repercussions. In the final episode of the season, we see Tony rule against Paulie in a dispute with Ralph Cifaretto. This affects Paulie’s ability to care for his beloved “ma,” as he has been counting on the windfall from this dispute to finance her stay at Green Grove, the luxurious “retirement community” where Tony’s mother also resides. Paulie’s fall from grace in this season is now complete, which will, of course, lead to more volatile future developments.

The fourth season begins with Paulie behind bars, where he seems to have assumed an “alpha” position, where he dictates to the other prisoners which of his “programs” they would be watching. Even behind bars and away from the rest of the crew, he manages to wreak havoc, as he provides Johnny Sack with some second-hand information Ralph said about his wife. This information ends Johnny into a murderous rage that creates serious tension between the New York and New Jersey families.

Paulie is eventually released from jail, but the tension between he and Tony remains, as Tony correctly deciphers it was Paulie who has been betraying them to the New York family. As is often the case with Paulie, he becomes further unhinged under stress, and becomes involved in some bizarre interactions with the elderly residents of Green Grove and their families, as he tries to make sure his beloved mother “Nucci” is adjusting properly. His actions include arranging the beating of the son of a woman who has not been nice to his mother, and eventually the murder of another elderly woman who he attempts to rob to supplement his weekly “kick” to Tony.

Never content to be at peace with everyone in the crew, Paulie escalates another feud with Christopher in the fifth season, and exploits a rule in the code where the newest made member picks up the dinner tab to put an ongoing financial squeeze on Chris. As usual, Paulie escalates things when he sees Christopher getting increasingly agitated, and adds several hundred extra dollars to Christopher’s bill by ordering champagne for some homely middle-aged women and lobster and other expensive items for everyone at the table. His actions result in Chris leaving a poor tip for their waiter, and after a confrontation, Paulie murders the waiter after he interrupts he and Chris in the middle of one of their ongoing arguments. This seems to result in an easy peace between the two of them, but we know of course this will never last given Paulie’s fragile and impulsive temperament.

The fun continues in the sixth and final season, as Paulie becomes obsessed with Vito’s homosexuality, and laments “how much betrayal can I take?” despite the fact it really doesn’t affect him at all. Paulie also has misadventures running his annual street festival, where his conflicts with the elders at the Catholic Church eventually leads to yet another feud with Bobby Baccalierri. He also finds out he has prostate cancer in this episode, which sends his rumination and panic into overdrive.

Perhaps the biggest reveal in this season comes when he finds out Nucci is not in fact his biological mother but his aunt. This leads to him becoming completely unraveled, disowning Nucci, and senselessly beating Jason Barone (who has been in a business dispute with him and Tony) after hearing Jason’s mother make an impassioned plea to Tony for her son’s safety. Later in that final season, Paulie believes he sees a vision of the Virgin Mary at the Bada Bing, and he reconciles with Nucci shortly afterwards.

As the Sopranos came to a close, Tony finally came to appreciate Paulie and his contribution to the crew, but not before briefly considering killing him when they are on a boat together in Florida. And we are treated to one final conflict between him and Christopher during these end times, which (as always) escalates from a small problem to a much larger one when Christopher throws Paulie’s nephew “Little Paulie” out of a window, and Paulie takes his car and destroys Christopher’s landscaping in retaliation. When Tony kills Christopher following their automobile accident, Paulie seems to be genuinely remorseful, and laments the fact he was a “Dutch uncle” to Christopher throughout his life.

Paulie’s sadness over Christopher is short lived, as he is informed Nucci has died, and he becomes increasingly agitated when more people attend Christopher’s wake than Nucci’s. In his final scene with Tony we see that Paulie is in a sense the “last man standing” of the original crew, as virtually all the others have been killed or badly injured throughout the series. Tony manipulates Paulie one last time into taking over Vito’s old crew, and his last line to Tony, “I live but to serve you my liege,” takes us full circle to Paulie’s loyalty and commitment to Tony and the family. 

Analysis

Self-Assessment perceived through Genetic Possibilities

Paulie’s biological history is interesting to consider, as everything he previously believed about his background gets completely turned upside down when he finds out he was the illegitimate child of his aunt Dottie, who later became a nun after giving birth to Paulie. The original narrative Paulie grew up believing was that a trolley killed his father, and Nucci then raised him along with his two brothers and a sister. We know Nucci bailed him out of trouble a number of times as a young man, and how he only made it through the ninth grade in school before dropping out.

So when we find out Paulie’s aunt was his mother, we can still believe in the narrative of Paulie as a devoted Italian son, raised by his aunt instead of his mother. The story stays pretty much the same.

But we are teased by a fascinating possibility when we find out

 Paulie was fathered by a wayward GI named “Russ,” who at the time was a lonely soldier who Dottie befriended and had sex with decades ago. The only “Russ” the show introduces us to is Russ Fagoli, a highly educated and pompous friend of Carmella’s father Hugo, (who was also a GI), who insults Tony and generally behaves like a pretentious snob.

Surely the writers want us to consider this possibility, even if they are just toying with us a bit. Given Paulie’s level of intelligence, poor impulse control and anger issues, it would be easy to imagine his father as a blue collar Italian man cut from the same cloth as Tony’s father and other mafia members from that era. The idea of his father being a brilliant and pompous Ph.D. is so absurd that it just may be what the writers would like us to believe, and it certainly wouldn’t be the most far-fetched thing that ever happened on the show.

Openings for Advancement Perceived through Environmental Opportunities

Growing up and coming of age in the 60’s and 70s, Paulie’s Italian heritage, New Jersey roots, and tendency towards breaking the law placed him squarely in a time and place when the mafia in America was rising to power. As an enforcer since the age of 17, Paulie’s association with “Johnny Boy” Soprano led to opportunities for advancement in the criminal underworld he was able to seize upon. Tony discusses his own memories of Paulie as a young man in the episode “Remember When,” when he talked about how his dad used to threaten him with “Uncle Paulie” when he misbehaved as a child, and how there was a time he wished he could be exactly like Paulie.

Although Paulie’s environment provided him with opportunities for advancement, his own problems with impulse control and lack of insight have prevented him from ascending to the top rungs of the organization. He is easily manipulated throughout the series by Tony as well as Johnny Sack, and has actually risen quite far given his often limited resources.

Range of Social Interest perceived through Other Particularities

The idea of social interest was suggested by Adler as a way of measuring a person’s sense of connection and contribution to his fellow human beings. He believed it was an important marker of a person’s mental health, and it is a particularly interesting thing to consider in the case of Paulie Gualtieri. Paulie sees himself as a good man, perhaps even a great man, as evidenced by his statement “I must have done good things in my life” when he beats his prostate cancer.

But we the viewer see that Paulie may be truly evil. Although his comic musings are often hysterical, there appears to be a fundamental difference between Paulie and many other members of the crew, as he has no problem hurting and killing people not connected to organized crime.

There are several examples of this throughout the series, including the murder of Minnie Matrone, an elderly friend of his mothers, the crippling of Jason Barone after his mother pleads with Tony for his safety, and the murder of the waiter who complained to him and Christopher about the size of his tip. These incidents run contrary to the idea that members of his crew are soldiers who are at war with other soldiers, and show Paulie has little conscience at all (especially when agitated) when it comes to his own preservation.

So how does one get like Paulie exactly? M Scott Peck writes about evil in his seminal book “The People of the Lie,” and talks about how evil people rarely see themselves as evil, and this certainly seems to be the case with Paulie, who is adept at rationalizing all of his various criminal endeavors. Perhaps the lack of a male role model, coupled with his early involvement with organized crime both combined with an already shallow genetic situation to create the amoral yet brilliantly diabolical character of Paulie Walnuts.

Evil has never been so much fun.

Christopher Moltisanti

“My whole life I always wanted to be a gangster.” So begins the movie “Goodfellas,” which follows the exploits of gangster Henry Hill as he fulfills his lifelong ambition to join the mob. Christopher Moltisanti has clearly seen this movie, as he has the very same ambition. The writers have a little fun with this at times throughout the show, as Michael Imperioli actually played “Spider” in the movie Goodfellas, who, like Christopher, often struggles for respect in a world of older and wiser mafiosos.

We are introduced to Christopher and his ambitions in the very first episode when he is seen driving an expensive new Lexus, which is perhaps an ambitious purchase considering we then learn he still lives at home with his mother. We see immediately that he looks up to and reveres Tony, and their first scene together involves chasing down and then running over a compulsive gambler who owes Tony a debt. Christopher’s education begins immediately, as he is worried about scuffs on his new car while Tony expects him to engage in beating this man instead.

Christopher’s ambition and bumpy rise throughout the ranks of the Soprano’s crew was at times humorous, incompetent, and terrifying, as he takes the initiative to kill Emil Kolar, who Chris continually refers to as “Email” despite the man’s repeated objections. Chris again mimics something he has seen in mafia movies when he tries to explain his actions as a “message job,” he mistakenly explains as “Louis Brasa sleeps with the fishes.” This is a reference to a line in “The Godfather” meant to be “Luka” Brasi sleeps with the fishes. This won’t be the first time Chris acts without clear orders in an attempt to get ahead, and his bravado and impulsivity are a continual source of irritation to Tony in the show’s first season.

But right away we see that Chris may have some kind of moral compass that could potentially interfere with his budding career. He is haunted in his dreams by his murder victim “email,” and this causes him to dig up his body with Georgie, a bartender who works at the Bada Bing. Tony reacts with outrage at his actions, given the increased exposure this behavior might bring. Chris finds he simply does not meet Tony’s expectations no matter how hard he tries in the first season, and he laments the fact that he still isn’t “made” despite his ongoing efforts to curry favor.

Christopher’s acting out behavior escalates as the season progresses, and he engages in increasingly risky truck hijackings, which facilitates a feud between Tony and his Uncle Junior. Chris and his friend Brendan incur Tony’s wrath at this juncture, and Brendan is eventually executed on Junior’s orders for continuing to flaunt the rules. Christopher is subjected to a mock execution for his role in this incident, and he defecates in his pants as a result of the fear he experienced, which is a continual source of shame for him.

Christopher laments the fact his story has no “arc” following all of these unfortunate events ,and feels his life has no meaning if he can’t fully belong as a member of the Soprano crew. Eventually, his luck turns as he is listed as a Soprano associate in a newspaper article, which is the culmination of a lifelong dream for him that finally gives him a sense of meaning and purpose.

We also learn about the love of Christopher’s life Adriana La Cerva in the first season, and she supports his various endeavors as a screenwriter, music producer, and budding mob associate, despite the fact he shows little aptitude for any of these things. Adriana will be his soul mate, fiancé, and moral compass as their time together progresses, and despite their turbulent relationship, she is the one consistent encouraging force in his life for the next several years.

In later seasons we see that Chris is beginning to move through the ranks of the organization, despite his own best efforts. He opens the second season as a stockbroker (after fraudulently gaining his license) and we are introduced to his bumbling new friends Mathew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, who look up to him in much the same way he looks up to Tony. A number of misadventures occur between the three of them, and Gismonte eventually shoots Christopher in an attempt to gain favor with Richie Aprile, who is outraged by this and chases him out of his sight. Christopher’s stay in the hospital and eventual recovery results in him being proposed for official membership into the family, as he has now proven his loyalty to Tony’s satisfaction.

We also see Christopher’s return to the movie business in this season, as through a series of meetups he ends up befriending Jon Favreau as well as his assistant Amy (his cousin’s girlfriend.) Through these associations, Chris is able to get a much closer look at the movie business, which is something he has always dreamt about. Much like his foray into the music business, things don’t end well. Favreau betrays his confidence, Amy informs him his script isn’t very good, and he is left feeling betrayed by the whole process, despite his less than honorable actions throughout this episode.

This rejection represents a turning point for Christopher, as he had been pulling further and further away from Tony and his mafia family, which culminates in Tony issuing an ultimatum to Chris as to which life he wants to choose for himself. We see in the end that a resigned Chris has recommitted to Tony and his mafia family, and his dreams of being a movie producer are for now put on hold again.

As the show progresses, we also get an often hilarious glimpse into the budding relationship between Chris and Paulie Walnuts, who is at various times a friend, mentor, supervisor, and primary antagonist in Christopher’s life. At first, we see Paulie take Chris under his wing and provide wisdom and comfort, as evidenced in the scene where Chris laments his lack of a life arc. Paulie offers that he also has no real arc, telling him "I was born, grew up, spent a few years in the army, a few more in the can and here I am, a half a wise guy." Chris seems to find this strangely comforting, and their relationship blossoms from there.

The philosophical conversations between the two of them continue after Chris gets shot, and while in a coma he dreams that he and Tony and Paulie are doomed to spend eternity in hell, where they are forced to spend each night in an Irish bar where they are eventually murdered at 3:00 each night. He awakens with an ominous warning for Paulie about 3:00, and Paulie is at first dismissive, explaining that Chris was not in fact in hell, but in Purgatory. Paulie hilariously calculates the relationship between their sins and the time they will spend in Purgatory, and Chris seems to again accept this idea as a source of comfort.

But things eventually get heated between the two of them, as Chris begins working under Paulie’s direct supervision, which leads to a number of misunderstandings and difficult confrontations. Exploiting a loophole in the new rules about made men, Paulie takes this opportunity to force Chris to disrobe in public, drops by his home in the middle of the night (he sniffs Adriana’s underwear at this point which enrages Chris), and generally make his life difficult with his constant hazing and harassment.

Their relationship reaches a boiling point when they are stuck in the woods together during the episode “Pine Barrens,” which many aficionados consider their favorite episode. Following a botched money pickup, Chris and Paulie attack a Russian associate. Their pursuit of him and subsequent stay in a van when they become lost in the woods leads to a nearly fatal confrontation. Chris pulls a gun on Paulie as a result of their constant bickering, but they eventually make peace and agree to put their difficulties behind them.

The fourth season marks a major turning point for Chris, as he finally avenges his father’s death (at least in his own mind.) His drug use also spirals out of control, and he is made the acting captain of Paulie’s crew while Paulie is in jail on a gun charge. The season also marks an important turning point in the relationship between Chris and Tony. Tony’s desire to eventually hand over the family to Chris is derailed by his ongoing spiral into harder and harder drugs, which culminates in a full-blown heroin addiction. All of these issues come to a spectacular head during a hilarious intervention, which ends up in a violent altercation. During this scene, his frequent nemesis Paulie eventually ends up hitting Chris in the face as a result of his rejection of the intervention material.

The increasingly volatile relationship between Tony and Christopher escalates in the fifth season, when the return of Tony Blundetto relegates him to second fiddle, as the two Tonies are closer in age and appear to have a stronger bond. Despite screwing up repeatedly, Tony continues to reward Tony B with increasing promotions, and Christopher’s resentment of this fact builds throughout the season. When the two Tonies tease Chris about his sobriety Chris appears especially hurt, and a single tear falls from his face when he drives home following this interaction.

Some very key developments also occur with Adriana in this season, as their relationship takes a serious turn when Chris is out of town and Adriana and Tony engage in an ongoing flirtation. This culminates in a serious accident where both Tony and Adriana are injured. The gossip that runs through the family and subsequent fallout regarding the possible sexual nature of their interaction eventually gets back to Chris, who furiously beats Adriana and gets a gun with the intention of killing Tony. Tony and Christopher eventually make their peace over this incident, but their relationship is now permanently strained.

In what marks a fatal turning point to Christopher’s psychological health, Adriana is killed by Silvio after the crew finds out she is an informant for the FBI. Christopher attempts to kill her himself, but he is unable to do so and comes to Tony for assistance. He quickly returns to Heroin use over the loss of Adriana, and will use this pattern to numb the pain of her death for the rest of his existence.

Although Chris eventually finds a woman named Kelly and gets married and has a child, the rest of his life is interspersed with chaotic events. These include multiple relapses, continued affairs with multiple women, and the murder of his friend and former A.A. partner J.T. Dolan when he is unwilling to support Chris through a relapse. Chris eventually meets his death at the hands of Tony himself after a car accident, and this seemed a particularly tragic end given how much he loved and admired Tony as a father figure in his life.

Analysis:

Gender Role Preparation perceived through Gender Guiding Lines and Role Models

From the time we first meet Christopher as a young man, we learn he has some fixed ideas as to what it means to be a man. His father is murdered when he was just a baby, and we know from various scenes that Tony looked after him as a “nephew” from a young age. But it wasn’t all supportive between Tony and Christopher growing up, as we learn that although Tony was a supportive big brother type when they were alone, he would quickly turn into a bully when cousin Tony Blundetto was around. This appeared to leave permanent scars in Christopher’s memory bank. Specifically, he recounts an incident where they left him tied to a fence for several hours during a hunt at Uncle Pat’s farm when he was a young man, which he recounts to Adriana with bitterness and sadness.

Chris took his cues as to how to be a man from stories about his father (who he idolizes as a legendary enforcer), and Tony Soprano, who he looks up to and admires through most of his life. One firm idea he has is a man does not allow himself to be disrespected by another man, as throughout the series he attacks others when provoked, including Yo-Yo Mendez, a drug dealer who owes him money, as well as attempted altercations with Vito, Patsi, and of course Paulie when he feels they are disrespecting him.

Perhaps one of the most telling narratives of Christopher’s life was his desire to avenge his father’s murder, which he reported was something that had been haunting him since he was a child. Given his own understanding of his father’s legacy, he felt this job was his and his alone to accomplish, and Tony manipulates this desire by helping Chris believe he has finally achieved this goal.

Interpersonal Style perceived through Experience of Family Atmosphere

It is important to consider how large of role Christopher’s addictive behavior played in his eventual demise, as this was a part of his family atmosphere since he was a young man. At one point he tells Tony, "Let's be honest about the great Dickie Moltisanti--my dad, your hero--wasn't much more than a fucking junkie.” And of course, his mother Joanne is shown as a serious alcoholic throughout the entire series.

Having two parents who were addicts would certainly increase Christopher’s chances of becoming an addict himself from both a genetic as well as psychological perspective, and this appears to be the case with Chris. At one point he buys a huge new home and explains to his friend Corky, “There were times, I was a kid, my friend Ronnie, we'd play on the floor of my kitchen-- linoleum, matchbox cars or whatever. He'd go home, his knees would be filthy, his elbows-- she never cleaned, my mother. Our house was a pigsty. Ronnie's mother made him stop coming over it was so dirty. That’s fucked up! Embarrassing! My kid, it'll be different. He'll be proud of his house.”

Moments later he is snorting the Heroin he brought as payment for his friend. This scene perfectly illustrates Christopher’s inability to resist addictive substances. As although he was able to clearly reflect on the good things in his life, he couldn’t even for a moment resist the urge of Heroin, despite the ongoing terrible consequences in his life as a result of his drug use.

Personal Code of Conduct Perceived through Acceptance / Rejection of Family Values

Most children at some point develop an understanding of what the family values are. In Christopher’s case, this involved both the values of his actual family and his larger mafia family, which were closely tied together throughout his life. Chris doesn’t just “accept” the family values, but embraces them so wholeheartedly that he at one point tells Adriana “That’s the man I’m going to hell for” in relation to Tony Soprano. He would literally burn in hell for eternity rather than disappoint Tony, and this reveals a great deal about the forces that motivate him.

There are many other examples of this, particularly in the early seasons. Chris offers to immediately come up to New York to whack a famous rat Tony has identified, as he believes this will put him “a cunt hair from being made.” His incredible pride at being named in the newspaper with the other Soprano family members also shows his dedication. He is truly a man fixated on finding a sense of belonging in his larger identified “family.”

Although Chris is almost religiously devoted to the mafia family and the values of La Cosa Nostra, his faith does waver at times throughout the series when he feels he is being held to a different standard than others. One example of this comes when Tony refuses to order the death of Jackie Aprile Jr. after he shoots at him and Furio, which causes a furious Chris to tell Tony, “You’re a fucking hypocrite. You preach all this wiseguy shit and meanwhile the only ones who gotta play by the rules are us. I loved you!”

And this crack widens even more as time progresses when Chris even contemplates becoming a rat, a development that would have been unheard of in the first couple of seasons given his devotion and dedication to the family. After being mocked repeatedly at a Bada Bing party, Chris comes to the home of his old A.A. friend J.T. Dolan and informs him that he could turn informant and move to Arizona, as he knew significant amounts of information about various criminal activities (which he surely does). J.T.’s horrified reaction to this confession results in him bluntly telling Chris “You’re in the mafia,” which seems to snap Chris back to reality just long enough to pull out his gun and murder his former friend.

Christopher’s rejection of the family values leads him to make decisions that continue to put distance between him and Tony, and by the final season, we see Tony hang up on Christopher in disgust when he calls to wish him a happy birthday. Later Tony implies to Bobby that he no longer has faith in Christopher as a potential leader, and how he was now thinking about Bobby in this regard instead.

Which brings us to the final scene between Tony and Chris, when Chris is back on Heroin and driving erratically following an important meeting with Phil Leotardo. Christopher flips the car as a result of his inattention and drug use, and after confessing this, we see that Tony has finally made the decision to permanently end Christopher’s life as a result of his ongoing insubordination and impulsive behavior.

Conclusion

Christopher’s life seemed to follow what transactional psychologists would refer to as a “tragic life script,” as the narrative of his life seemed to be on a crash course with a tragic ending since his early childhood. His father’s early murder was not a deterrent to violent behavior, but instead was a precursor to a life based on violence, revenge, and anti-social behavior.

Christopher’s admiration for Tony Soprano from an early age must have also been a powerful narrative for him to follow, as seeing an older relative rise through the ranks to become rich and powerful must have been an influential story that continued to inspire him. Although Tony discouraged both Jackie Jr. and his own son Anthony from entering into the mafia lifestyle, with Christopher he actively encouraged his involvement and even provided opportunities for deeper involvement. 

Tony Soprano

Tony Soprano is one of the most intriguing and enigmatic characters in the history of television. Understanding him psychologically is a difficult proposition, although many of the shows other characters have offered some ideas. In one early episode, Dr. Melfi's husband Richard refers to Tony as Alexithymic, the short definition being "the inability to talk about feelings due to a lack of emotional awareness." This seems to be a reasonable starting point, as Tony often reacts with rage during periods of confusion and frustration.

One classic example of this comes when Tony enters his office and sees that someone has purchased a "Big Mouth Billy Bass" and placed it on his desk. Seeing the singing fish reminds Tony of his dream about his deceased friend Big Pussy (who he himself killed) and this memory floods Tony with multiple emotions that he is unable to process or understand. Tony reacts to this emotional flooding by beating Georgie, (A favorite pastime) who he learns placed the fish in his office. This choice allows him to temporarily relieve his uncomfortable feelings through this physically violent reaction.

At one point, Dr. Melfi suggests Tony has an Anti-Social Personality Disorder. People with this disorder often show a persistent pattern of conduct disorder in their teen years. This behavior may include breaking the law, poor academic performance, disrespect for authority, as well as several other more serious criteria including torturing animals and starting fires. Throughout the series, we learn several things about Tony's younger years. In the first season, we learn from Uncle Junior and Livia that Tony and his friends stole a car, and also that Tony used to sell stolen lobsters in an effort to earn some extra cash. In another episode we see him skipping school, breaking into his father's car, and generally being very willing to bend the rules.

Skip to Tony's teen years and we learn that he has become good enough at sports to become a "varsity athlete," despite Junior's claim that he wasn't. He graduates from High School and attends Seton Hall for a semester and a half before he "got into some trouble" (revealed to Meadow during the episode "College") and goes to prison for a short while. Tony reveals to Dr. Melfi that his time in prison was relatively short, and we can assume his crime was relatively minor. Around this same time, Tony robbed Feech Lamana's card game, which was a major turning point in his life where he became officially respected as a gangster.

From this brief look at Tony's adolescence we learn he probably did meet many of the characteristics of conduct disorder, but possibly not enough to make a firm diagnosis. Which moves us to the diagnoses of Anti-Social Personality Disorder, which according to the DSM-IV, involves "a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

(1) failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest

(2) deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure

(3) impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

(4) irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults

(5) reckless disregard for safety of self or others

(6) consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations

(7) lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another

B. The individual is at least age 18 years.

C. There is evidence of Conduct Disorder with onset before age 15 years.

D. The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of Schizophrenia or a Manic Episode.

So, does Tony meet at least three of these criteria? The answer seems to be that yes of course he does. Although he does not seem to meet the criteria for number six, there have been multiple examples of his actions meeting the criteria for the other six components. But does this diagnosis truly encapsulate Tony Soprano? It doesn't appear to. The fact is that Tony is capable of unselfish and extremely generous acts, although often these actions have ulterior motives. Therefore, to truly get a sense of the patterns of Tony Soprano's life, it is extremely useful to use an Adlerian model to examine the patterns of his basic convictions. The Adlerian model looks at key components of a person's life, and also at their early recollections in an attempt to examine several key determinants that Adler believed made up a person's unique lifestyle.

Gender Role Preparation perceived through Gender Guiding Lines and Role Models

Through observing their parents and the gender patterns they adopt in their relations, a person learns to conceptualize a personal definition of what a man is and what a woman is. From watching his father, "Johnny Boy" Soprano, a respected and feared Mafioso, Tony formed several impressions of what it is to be a man. First and foremost, Tony learned that the man is the breadwinner in the family and that he needs to do whatever it takes regardless of the law, to provide for his family.

Tony also learned a great deal about conflict resolution from watching his father deal with people from around the neighborhood. One particularly important observation came from watching his father handle a man named Satriale who had been avoiding him because he owed him a debt. When Tony watches his father chop off the man's finger as a result of this dispute, Tony formed an early impression that a man goes to any lengths, despite the law, when that man owes him a debt. This impression was again confirmed when he watched his father brutally pummel a neighbor named Rocco, who also owed Johnny money.

Tony also learned a great deal from watching his father's work habits throughout the years, and this then affected his own adult attitude towards work. The beatings Tony witnessed in the previous situations were both over an attempt to collect a debt, and Tony saw that a great deal of Johnny's income was simply taken by force or through the threat of violence. Therefore, he learned that men don't need to work if they can take things from others, and this was a lesson that appeared to resonate.

In one notable event that occurred in Tony's teen years, he covers for his father with his mother when she correctly assumes he's been with another woman. In this situation Tony learns that’s it’s okay for a man to lie when confronted by an uncomfortable situation, and he has most likely learned this through observing his father’s dishonesty many times before.

Through Tony's interactions with his mother, he learned that a woman, although she may work in the home, holds a great deal of power and control in interpersonal relationships. One early impression came from watching his father and mother interact after his father brings home a large order of meat, and Tony observes that this was the only time his mother was ever really happy. Tony also makes the connection that when his father brought gifts it was "probably the only time he got laid." This also created the impression for Tony that a woman only provides sexual gratification to men when she is given gifts, and this was an idea that also seemed to translate to his adult life.

Interpersonal Style perceived through Experience of Family Atmosphere

The family atmosphere in the Soprano family was one of storm and strife. As Tony's sister Janice explains to her husband Bobby, "In my family, it was dog eat dog." This was an accurate description of the Soprano household, and much of this difficulty stemmed from the interactions between Livia and Johnny, which were based on repetitive patterns of incessant nagging on Livia's part and extreme deceit on Johnny's. Livia's tyranny over the house may have even eventually contributed to Johnny's physical decline, as in Tony's estimation she wore this very strong man into a "little nub."

Livia Soprano's love was conditional love. Livia was extremely critical of her children and she did not demonstrate encouragement and support of their endeavors, which appeared to stimulate a lifelong pattern of self-doubt in both Tony as well as his sister Janice. Discouraged children often grow up to be angry and unfulfilled adults, as they begin to feel that everything they do will not live up to someone's standards.

 In these situations, a kind of "learned helplessness,” can take place, where kids simply give up rather than continuing to compete in a seemingly hopeless situation. This appeared to be the case with Janice Soprano, who spends a lifetime avoiding any kind of useful activity rather than be judged a failure as she has so many times before.

Tony on the other hand compensated for this lack of love like his father did by lashing out at others, finding temporary gratification through sexual conquests, and finding solace in acquiring material possessions.

Livia also talked openly of killing her children when Tony was a young man, which he must have seen as a great devaluation of his importance and worth in his mother's life. In one notable instance, Livia tells Tony she could "smother him with a pillow" which terrifies Tony and makes him question how far his mother might really go in enforcing punishment in the Soprano household.

Johnny Soprano freely used corporal punishment in the house, and in Tony's words, "the belt was his favorite child development tool." Johnny clearly demonstrated though many of his actions in the house that violence was an appropriate response to frustration, and this was also a value that Tony seemed to inherit. Johnny Soprano was also consistently deceitful in his dealings with his family, and his constant deceit was often the trigger that sent Livia flying into a rage. One early example of his deceit came following his arrest at a kid's carnival, where he tells his children the cops made a terrible mistake and arrested the wrong guys, which would be difficult for even a child to believe.

Another important event that confirms Johnny's deceit occurred when Tony was a teenager and Livia was in the hospital having suffered a dangerous miscarriage. Johnny, who was staying overnight with his mistress, concocts an elaborate lie that hinged on Tony supporting the lie and confirming the story for his hospitalized mother. Tony does go along with the lie, and this event marked a major turning point where he embraces the deceitful lifestyle and begins to head down the path his father has paved for him.

One key scene occurred when we flashback to Tony’s first murder of a bookie named Willie Overall. We find out from Paulie that Tony “made his bones” with that murder, and how he became an official member of the mafia family through this murder on the order of his father. What does this scene tell us about how Johnny Soprano felt about his son Tony? That he was destined to be a murderer and gangster who shouldn’t hesitate to use violence to solve problems? This would certainly appear to be the case.


Contrast this with Tony’s own feelings about his son, and how he didn’t want him involved with the family business. This seems an important development, as although Tony’s own father thought making him a murderer was the best way to advance his career, Tony had very different ideas for his own son’s development.

Personal Code of Conduct perceived through Acceptance/ Rejection of Family Values

When Tony embraced his father's lying ways, he was essentially accepting the Soprano family values, all of which were also modeled by Tony's Uncle Junior. Although Tony made a brief attempt at following a different path by going to college, his robbery of Feech Lamana's card game demonstrated an early lesson learned from his father that if someone wants something, it is easier to simply take it from others than to actually work for it. This idea was strongly reinforced when Tony was caught for this act and not punished, but in effect, promoted into the "family" following this brazen and irresponsible action.

For Tony, the term "family values" obviously had more than one meaning, but upon close examination, the values modeled in the Sopranos household were the same that were necessary to survive and even thrive in the mafia "family" Tony was also a part of. Livia used the threat of killing someone weaker than her to retain order in the house and get people to comply with her wishes. Tony and his larger mafia family use this exact dynamic, as threats of violence are one of the key ways the family perpetuates its wealth.

The family value of deceit in the house was also a necessary value to succeed in the larger Mafia family. The code of "Omerta" implies silence and avoidance of even discussing the organization, and this is an interesting connection to make considering the fact that Livia was so against Tony going to therapy as she felt he was there to "talk about his mother." Livia, who preferred the family secrets stay buried, was so consumed by feelings of anger from thinking that Tony would reveal her secrets to a therapist, that she manipulates Junior into trying to have him killed. Returning for a moment to the idea Tony is Alexithymic, one can speculate that this condition might stem from his mother's absolute inability to promote the sharing of feelings in the Soprano household.

Perspective on the World perceived through Experience of Psychological Birth Order

As the second born child of three, Tony's assumed the position of the classic middle child. The second born child often takes their cues from the oldest child, who has been in the world longer and provides a roadmap for the second child to follow. Second born children are often the rebels in the family, as the firstborns tend to be responsible and can often even assume the role of a second parent. The second child therefore often finds belonging through acting distinctively different than the first, as the first is naturally better at things because of their advanced age and physical development.

This was partially true in Tony's case, as Janis appeared to enjoy flaunting her position as the eldest, and at least in her early childhood convinced her father she was a well-behaved and accomplished child. Tony, on the other hand, showed immediate rebellious behavior and found belonging through being a "little hellion," who learned to fit in and get attention through misbehavior.

Adler made a strong point of emphasizing that birth order also had a psychological component to it, where the literal birth order may differ from the physical birth order. This can happen when the first born son usurps the first born female child and becomes the de facto leader of the children, as he comes from a culture that values males over women. This dynamic appeared to manifest itself in the Soprano household. In Tony's case Janis, who enjoyed the power of being the first born but not the responsibility, in effect passed the torch of responsibility as the first born to Tony, who became responsible for the family as he entered into adulthood.

Range of Social Interest perceived through Other Particularities

Adler believed that the extent and degree that a person takes an interest in his or her fellow human beings was an excellent predictor of their mental health. Tony never developed this interest in others, and instead came to value others based on their personal usefulness to him. There are many examples of this in Tony's life, including in his relationship with Paulie, who fell out of Tony's favor following a financial downturn in season four. Even in his dealings with Artie Bucco, who is a friend without mafia associations, Tony often identifies how Artie can be useful to him. Despite this imbalance of power, Tony finds little ways to exploit this friendship for his personal gain.

Tony's odd obsession with animals also demonstrates his inability to share emotions with other human beings, and again this behavior might have some its roots in the lack of love and support he received from his mother. Tony often projects feelings onto animals that he is unable to feel for human beings, and this trait shows how confusing and upset Tony gets when confronted by negative emotions.

A prime example of this can be seen in the show almost immediately, when Tony shows great love and concern for the family of ducks that have taken up residence in his pool. He speaks to the ducks as if they are humans, and asks them what kind of food they would enjoy, which he would be happy to provide for them. This pattern is also evident in his interactions with his horse “Pie-O-Mie”, as he chooses to spend time with his horse at the expense of others, and is even driven to murder when Ralph chooses to kill the horse.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tony Soprano's life is one lived with little insight or mindfulness. This lack of insight has led to an external locus of control, where he views the bad things that happen to him as bad luck. His statements such as, "I can't catch a break" and "I'm like king Midas in reverse" are examples of this behavior, and these claims don't jibe with the many, many fortuitous events in Tony's life.

Tony also likes to present the idea that he is a "sad clown," but again, the evidence in his life does not seem to support this. When Tony is angry or hurt, he nearly always responds with physical violence, and occasionally with emotional violence such as when he calls Melfi a "cunt" following her rebuke of his advances. The sad clown motif indicates the sense of pity Tony often feels for himself, and his general pessimistic attitude towards life.

Adler felt that by gaining insight into your behavior you could begin to understand the patterns and faulty thinking and logic that these patterns then created. After many years Dr. Melfi has uncovered some of these patterns, but doesn't seem to offer much assistance on how to process this information. The result has been that Tony continues to repeat many of the patterns directly inherited from watching his parents, and despite his often empty promises to change his life, this is really not possible without going back to the beginning.

Adler referred to this idea as "soft" determinism, meaning a person's patterns of behavior were firmly and deeply entrenched, and very, very difficult to change without a tremendous amount of insight. At one point we the viewers are given some evidence that Tony is capable of change. Following his shooting and recovery, his pronouncement that “every day is a gift” seems to be the start of a more loving and mindful approach to life. He turns down a potential affair with Julianna Skiff. He seems to have some compassion for Vito’s homosexuality despite the emotionally violent response from the rest of the crew. There seems to be some possibility that he is on the road to real change.

But invariably in Tony’s case, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. After rejecting Julianna’s sexual advances, he comes home and starts slamming things around. He is emotionally abusive to Carmella. As a person so used to gratifying his every impulse, delaying gratification is exceedingly difficult, and we begin to see the cracks in his new perspective.

In the last years of Tony’s TV life, we see him return almost completely to his former manipulative, angry, and unhappy self. He resents the idea that others try and improve themselves, as evidenced by his deliberate attempt to sabotage Janice’s effort at anger management in the episode “Cold Cuts.” After Bobby beats him in a fight, he orders him to commit murder because he knows it will haunt him psychologically. He personally kills two of the closest people in his life including his cousin Tony Blundetto (the closest thing he’s ever had to a brother), as well as Christopher, who is in many ways a surrogate son.

Which brings us to the highly controversial ending and the ongoing debate about Tony’s potential death. In this context, it is interesting to consider that the man who may or may not have shot Tony in the final scene is credited as “Man in Member’s Only Jacket.” We recall the first episode of the sixth season is called “Member’s Only” and some key things happened in that episode including Eugene’s suicide, Ray Curto’s death, and finally, the closing shot where Junior shoots Tony in the gut.

What is the possible significance of the title “Member’s Only” in this regard? Tony at one point explains to Dr. Melfi that he is not an evil man but a soldier, and he operates in a world where everyone involved knows the rules. The mafia is a “Member’s Only” organization, and soldiers may kill other soldiers in this context, but he is no “Hitler or Pol Pot” and therefore does not belong in hell.

And yet in the subsequent episodes that debate is something Tony’s subconscious seems to be trying to resolve. In the dream world he enters following the shooting, he is in Costa Mesa and fires are burning all around him. Religious messages about hell appear on the television around them. Tony becomes involved with monks who remind him that his worldly actions have lasting karma that he must pay for.

And in the final scene of the dream sequence, we see that Tony (as “Kevin Finnerty” a clever play on the word “infinity”) may have been close to entering into hell itself. He reports to Dr. Melfi later how it was a place “he never wanted to go back to.” He resolves to do better in his life, even contemplating for a moment the version of redemption and religion Pastor Bob lays out for him as he lies in recovery from his gunshot wound.

But ultimately, we see Tony return to his old ways. Although he at first seems to be embracing his new policy that “every day is a gift,” under stress we see Tony return to being guided by his reptilian brain, adept at survival, manipulation, and the exploitation of others for his own personal gain.

In the end, it is interesting to consider how close we as viewers felt to Tony considering his long history of anti-social activities. Why did we find it so easy to forgive him despite these continually violent and exploitative activities, and root for him to prevail against his enemies? Ultimately, I think it speaks to the brilliance of the writing and the show itself, and our ability to rationalize and forgive the actions of a character once we have become emotionally invested. David Chase himself referred to Tony in interviews as a “monster”, but I believe it’s fair to say that most of us viewers had a much more complicated and nuanced response to him.