Scarface; The Man and The Legend

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Al Capone

Scarface; The Man and The Legend

The notorious Al Capone will always be remembered as America's most legendary gangster. Alphonse Capone, born January 17, 1899 was the first of his family to be conceived and born in America (Bergreen 31). As a result of being a minority at the time, Al faced many challenges in life. Some believe because of this when he found his opportunity in crime he never looked back. He could have been great at anything he did, but he chose crime (Bergreen 57). Starting with nothing and retiring one of the richest and most powerful men in the United States, Al Capone is a true American success story.

At the time of Al's birth there was great anti-Italian prejudice in the United States. Despite the fact that both of his parents were skilled tradesmen , they never became affluent due to society's dim view of them.

Bergreen states, "the youth of Al was largely a response to this climate of anti-Italian prejudice" (Bergreen 23). Al realized he would not be able to make a decent living with a legitimate job; therefore, he looked to illegal rackets for his career. As a result, his ascent to notoriety began.

Al was a natural trouble maker, and as a result of a fist fight with a female teacher in the sixth grade, Al was expelled from school (Bergreen 36). The schools were notorious for their violence and beatings were common. Society deemed Italians unable to be educated anyway, and it was expected that the boys quit school and get a job as soon as they were old enough to work. Accordingly, Al did what was expected of him, and dropped out of school in the sixth grade at fourteen years of age(...