The communal relationship between the families in Goodfellas and Radio Days are similar in the way that they rely on their environment in order to create a sense of community. In Goodfellas, Henri’s purpose in life was to fit in and be a respected and feared gangster, and in essence, he does! In Henri’s case, he is surrounded by and constantly interacting with other gangsters and their families, and they have a responsibility to have each other’s backs. They use their criminal lifestyles to have a have a motive to create a family in a place that they are discriminated against.
In the case of Radio Days, the plot is structured and held through memories that connect family members. Without the radio, the storyline would be chaotic. I feel that this represents the family, as well. Without the radio, they wouldn’t function the same way and have something in common that makes them feel like “the” American family.
