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How Is Gran Torino Related To Sociology

Decent Essays

Gran Torino

To what extent has Clint Eastwood portrayed the struggle between different cultural groups within the film Gran Torino

In the film Gran Torino the director, Clint Eastwood, has shown the immense struggle between the different races in such a way that is realistic to the modern day today. Strong wiled war veteran Walter Kowalski, played by director Clint Eastwood, is under going a major change in society. The neighbour hood in which he has always lived in is in desperate need of cultural acceptance and change. In this Eastwood film there is massive showing of the evolution of violence. Where it started and how it ended within the Hmong community.
The main character, Walter Kowalski, has many issues with cultural difference. This stems from his old-fashioned views on life and his traumatic past. Walt has had a previous career in the military and was involved in the Korean War hence why his views on the Hmong people are very negative. There is not only …show more content…

At first Kowalski isn’t bothered by all the bad in his neighbourhood but this all changes when a Hmong family move in next door. There are very clear cultural differences between the Hmong family and the very obsolescent Kowalski. He struggle majorly in trying to accept the fact that his new neighbours were not of the same culture as him. There is a breaking point in the movie where the Hmong son from next door, Vang Thao Lor, breaks into Kowalski’s garage and tries to steal his classic car, the Gran Torino. The reasoning behind him doing this is because Thao’s cousin is trying to get him involved in his gang and as an entry ritual he makes him steal the car, thus being non-successful. This major plot line is encircled with the constant violence of Mexican and Korean gangs. The violence starts with language and suggested weapons and ends up with strong violence including rape and eventual death of

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