Stereotypes In Gran Torino

Our experiences shape who we are. Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood is a moving film that depicts topics such as racism, mental illness and sacrifice in a modern setting without sugarcoating. In the film, korean war veteran and curmudgeon Walt Kowalski becomes an unexpected hero and father figure to nextdoor neighbour Thao Lor. Gran Torino begins in a funeral home, where protagonist Walt is mourning the death of his spouse, grimacing at the reality of being widowed and the disrespect of his children and their families. After the death of his wife, Mr. Kowalski does little other than drink his weight in beer daily and make critical comments towards his neighbours and surrounding community. Besides the company of his yellow labrador Daisy, Walt is alone with his thoughts. Because Walt acquired racism through experience where the race he discriminates was an enemy in reality, it is not truly one of his traits and can be undone as he is human and is able to overcome his mental illness, which is the reasoning for his intolerance.

The movie “Gran Torino” is an excellent example of how our own moral values define who we are as a person. We make decisions based on what we think is right or wrong. The film starts off with Walt Kowalski who is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighbourhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbours, a Korean War veteran whose prize

Jumping into a burning building is one of the things that the boys from the “Greaser Gang” would do for each other. When the main character, Ponyboy, jumps into a burning church to save children from the flames, his two gang members and family, Johnny and Dally, jump in after him to help get the children out and ensure that he can get out. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton shows two main themes. These themes show many examples of stereotyping could lead to misjudgment of people and to be loyal to the people around you, especially the ones close to you.

In his film ‘Gran Torino’, Clint Eastwood tells the story of an unlikely relationship between Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski and his Hmong neighbours Thao and Sue. The film explores the possibility of redemption, “second chances”, and the hope that comes from having a positive future. Both Walt and Thao experience redemption in the film. Walt is saved from the guilt of murder and broken relationships. Ultimately, Walt finds “peace” with himself, with others and with God. Walt’s young neighbour Thao is rescued from a future of crime and violence, and the shame of attempted theft. Ultimately, Thao gains a future as a

In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, the main character, Ponyboy, experiences the effect that stereotypes have on “Socs” and “Greasers”. Ponyboy is trying to find his place in the world, but is interrupted by the labels that society gives him. The Socs make the Greasers’ situation worse,by being a constant danger to the Greasers. There are three topics addressed in the powerful novel. The fight between the rich and the poor, the power of friendship, and what it means to be a hero.

The movie Crash, taking place in Los Angeles, is about a group of people’s stories about their race, culture, and lifestyle and how they are tested. There were many racial interactions in the movie which informed the viewers about stereotyping and why one shouldn’t do it. For example, there’s a mexican who fixed door locks. When he would work, he was under high supervision because his customers assumed he would steal because of his race. In reality, the mexican was a good, hard working father who cared deeply about his family.

The movie Gran Torino is a film rife of depicting and promoting white male masculinity while on the other hand underrating some members of the other group and revealing them as weak, powerless and dependent on the whites for survival and protection. The movie also reveals failure of some characters to live up to social expectations by fulfilling the responsibilities that have been naturally assigned to them as parents or grandparents.

In 2008, a graphic and dramatic film called “Gran Torino” was made. This film was directed by Client Eastwood, who is also the main character in the movie, and challenges the issues of stereotypes through the aspects of status, gender and ethnicity. Exploring the themes of absence of a male dominate figure, Theo, the protagonist but thought to be a feminine figure, exploits the idea of gender portrayed by the Hmong men to be stereotypical. Throughout the film, the Hollywood narrative displays the differences in the western and eastern cultures of the Hmong. These cultures have been further stereotyped by the western culture being the better and more dominant of the two.

All conflict from the movie derives from the racial discrimination between Walt and the Hmong. In the beginning of the movie, it is obvious that Walt is unashamedly racist, especially towards those of Asian background. This is what made most evident through his relationship with his Asian neighbors, continuously referring to them as "chinks and fish heads". However, throughout the movie, we learn that Walt is not the only one that has racial prejudice towards other races. From the short encounters between the racial gangs, to the Asian grandmother next door, almost every interaction in Gran Torino is affected from some sort of racial discrimination.

"Gran Torino" tackles racism head on. Although the main character Walt Kowalski, played by Clint Eastwood, is prejudiced against almost everyone, the film focuses on an Asian neighborhood, uncovering racism and violence. The neighborhood has gone down hill since it has become immigrant-dominated. The house next door is now owned by a Hmong family, a widespread South-east Asian minority, and Walt does not trouble to distinguish them from the Koreans he fought in the 1950s. Throughout the film, we learn Walt had to kill many Koreans as part as his duty as a soldier during that period of time. The film takes a twist when the bitter old war veteran's life takes an unexpected turn after Thao, a shy, teenage boy who lives next door to Walt is bullied by his

Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (2008) is a portrayal of human sacrifice and the racial intolerance that still exists in modern America. The film is set in a poor neighbourhood of Detroit. Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a war veteran who has brooded over his experiences in the war for decades. Past trauma has caused him to believe that he cannot trust anyone, and he has therefore developed a deep racism. Eastwood uses many different techniques, including lighting, camera angles, and dialogue to show how the man Walt Kowalski develops throughout the film. Kowalski begins as an angry,

The film Gran Torino directed by Client Eastwood challenges The issues of stereotypes through the attributes of contemporary assumptions of status, gender and ethnicity. Exploring the themes of absence of a male dominate figure, enabling protagonist Theo to be a feminine figure exploits the idea of gender portrays the Hmong men to be stereotyped.Ethnicity and status also express multiple meanings through the cinematography and the Hollywood narrative style illustrates many representation  of the western and eastern cultures These key terms gender, ethnicity  and status all intertwine with each other during the entire film. The Hmong culture have been stereotyped by the western culture concerning that the American way is the only way which

The movie Gran Torino, is an American film directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as the main character. The movie was set in Highland Park, Michigan which was a nearby suburb of Detroit. In prior years, Highland Park was populated by white families that had come to the area to work in the Ford car factories, but over time, “the damn chinks” moved into the neighborhood as Walt Kowalski would say. This show was the first American film to show Hmong Americans, which were war refugees that had resettled in the U.S. following the communist takeover of Laos in 1975 (Yuen). The main character, Clint Eastwood is a widowed Korean War veteran who often shows bursts of racism and anger towards people of different race, especially the Asian immigrants in his neighborhood. His neighbor, Thao Vang Lor, a young Hmong teenager becomes a key character in the movie after he gets pressured into stealing Walt’s 1972 Gran Torino in an attempt to be initiated into a Hmong gang in which his cousin is involved with. While attempting to steal the car, Walt catches Thao and is sure to prove a point that he is not going to take any slack from him and or the Hmong gang members.

The 2008 movie “Gran Torino” starring Clint Eastwood is filled with an abundance of cultural diversity, which is met with much resistance, stereotype, and prejudice by the movies’ main character, Walt Kowalski. Walt’s world is changing; his Detroit neighborhood is decaying, his relationship with his sons is distant, and his Korean War memories continue to destroy his ability to fully enjoy life. Through an unlikely bond with the Hmong children next door, Walt finally receives redemption by coming face-to-face with the same destructive prejudices consuming neighborhood teenage gang members

Many people say that old people fear change as they have grown so accustomed to their old ways, however, in Clint Eastwood’s meaningful and captivating drama Gran Torino, it is exemplified that anyone is capable of change. Gran Torino shares a story about tolerance and cultural differences, but also one about hope, self-sacrifice, and unlikely relationships. In the film, an abundance of cultural diversity is met with much resistance, stereotype, and prejudice by the movies’ main character, Walt Kowalski. Walt’s world is changing; his wife has died, his Detroit neighbourhood is deteriorating, his relationship with his two sons is distant, and his Korean War memories continue to affect his ability to fully enjoy life. Through an unlikely bond with the Hmong family next door, Walt finally receives redemption by coming face-to-face with the same destructive prejudices consuming neighbourhood teenage gang members that have consumed him. Through the devices of characterisation, symbolism, and dialogue the viewers will witness Walt emerge as a more compassionate individual who becomes more accepting of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds around him.