Themes and Motifs

Redemption

Walt‘s confession to Father Janovich only focuses on minor offenses (betraying his wife, tax dodging)
really confesses his doings to Thao, not to Father Janovich
$\rightarrow$ believes that only his Korean friend can absolve him
will remember the atrocities of Korean war and the deaths of soldiers he was responsible for until he dies, claims that he can live with that
at Walt‘s funeral, Janovich explains that he learned a whole lot from Walt about life, death and sacrifice
Walt deems his life as not as important as Thao‘s
$\rightarrow$ regrets things that happened in the past
$\rightarrow$ has blood on his hands in comparison to Thao
$\rightarrow$ Thao‘s soul is supposed to stay untainted
$\rightarrow$ decides to sacrifice his life in order for Thao to remain unhaunted of nightmares/regrets
Walt‘s sacrifice might redeem the other sins he had made
$\rightarrow$ lies on the floor with arms stretched like Jesus on the cross
$\rightarrow$ Jesus sacrificed himself for humanity‘s sins
Walt regrets that he was never close to his family
$\rightarrow$ at confession, he confesses that this has bothered him throughout his whole life
$\rightarrow$ makes up for that by helping the Vang Lor family
$\rightarrow$ acts for the purpose of Christianity by embodying benevolence and non-violence

The Human Ability to Change

movie celebrates the fact that everyone can change
some societal problems exist through narrow-mindedness and people being stuck in their ways and unwilling to explore something new
mostly highlighted in old people
$\rightarrow$ Walt resisting to mow his lawn with an automatic lawn mower
people don‘t change just like that, they change due to the influence of other people or situations they have encountered
$\rightarrow$ Walt changes through the influence of Thao and Sue
$\rightarrow$ gets Thao a job, defends Sue
$\rightarrow$ still racist when he refers to the Hmong gang members as "swamp rats" but protects his Hmong neighbours with his life
Walt‘s willingness to change might stem from the fact that he knows he is dying
$\rightarrow$ wants to make up for what he has done wrong with his own sons

Conflicts Between Groups

difficulty of getting along for people of different types
$\rightarrow$ lack of understanding causes conflicts
generational conflict: Walt lacks a deep understanding for his sons
$\rightarrow$ might wonder why they have moved to the suburbs, why they sell Japanese cars
$\rightarrow$ doesn‘t understand grandchildren either: pierced belly button, being disrespectful by playing with a mobile phone during a funeral...
$\rightarrow$ doesn‘t understand the teenagers of the neighbourhood and why they joing gangs
lack of understanding is mutual: sons don‘t understand Walt as well
$\rightarrow$ don‘t understand his choice of place
$\rightarrow$ grandchildren can‘t understand why he doesn‘t share the Gran Torino
$\rightarrow$ gang members think he is crazy, stand up to him by calling him an old man
racial conflict: communities become more and more diverse due to the globalized world, but Walt seems that he can‘t accept that
$\rightarrow$ Walt is xenophobic, his fear towards foreigners is deeply rooted
$\rightarrow$ calls them derogatory names ("Dragon lady", "swamp rats")
$\rightarrow$ hatred might stem from his war duty
$\rightarrow$ however, Walt learns that people are not defined by their race but by their actions
$\rightarrow$ friendship to Thao and Sue changes his opinion, feels he has more in common with them than with his very own family
other conflicts: gang conflict between Blacks, Hispanics, Asians / old vs. new (American car vs. Japanese car)

The Nature of Masculinity

masculinity is not a firm construct, it is changeable
different forms of masculinity: Walt, his sons, Thao, the gang
becoming a man does not happen without outer influences (Thao needs guidance from Walt, Walt depends on Thao to fulfill his fatherly duties)
a man according to Walt: proactive, taking responsibility, patriarchal
$\rightarrow$ Walt is a man (according to himself) because he is actively trying to make up for what he did during Korean war and for the badly planned move against the Hmong gang which ultimately resulted in Sue‘s rape and the attack of the Vang Lors
$\rightarrow$ protector of the weak, authoritarian, intervenes at all costs (even armed with a gun) when no one else does
Walt‘s opinion towards masculinity changes throughout the movie
$\rightarrow$ violence has been a result of fear, isolation and suffering
$\rightarrow$ wants to spare Thao that same experience, prevents him from murdering Spider
Thao is rather submissive and is dominated by his sister, mother and grandmother, is doing girl chores
$\rightarrow$ other male Hmong teenagers are part of gangs, are tough, mark their territory and intimidate weaker ones
traditional picture of masculinity matches the character of Walt
$\rightarrow$ is a war veteran, used to work in a car factory, is handy, drinks beer and eats beef jerky, swears, banters with his mates
Walt is like a father-figure to Thao and a male role model according to Sue
$\rightarrow$ Thao never had a father present to teach him the male ways
Walt functions as a substitute for the father-figure that Thao so desperately needs
$\rightarrow$ teaches him handyman skills and how to talk manly, gets him a job on a construction site
$\rightarrow$ on a deeper level, Thao is being taught to take responsibility for oneself, to treat women respectfully and that he is better than the gang members
$\rightarrow$ Thao passes Walt‘s masculinity-test (repairs decayed houses in the neighbourhood for free, actively taking responsibility for the security of the people there)
Walt sees his two sons as the complete opposite of him, they are weak and are dominated by their wives, therefore, he is not at all interested in bonding with them
$\rightarrow$ Mitch is too weak to tell his daughter to wear proper clothes to church and to behave adequately
the gang embodies masculinity through violence
$\rightarrow$ disrespect women, have initiation rituals to prove masculinity (stealing the Gran Torino for instance)
$\rightarrow$ hypermasculinity (non-ethical, non-human)
$\rightarrow$ members of Hmong gang grew up without a father (due to Vietnam war), are not able to adapt due to that (in contrast to girls, as Sue explains)
Walt also considers the priest Father Janovich as a weak man

Racism

Walt feels that his neighbourhood changed from being inhabited by white middle-class workers to being inhabited by foreigners
Walt is being confronted with people who look differently, who speak an unintelligible language and who have different customs
strong aversion against Hmongs
$\rightarrow$ does not want to communicate with them
$\rightarrow$ American flag as stand-alone symbol of the last American bastion in the neighbourhood
$\rightarrow$ demonstrates his utter hatred by being unwilling to lend Thao some cable and by using that exact cable in front of Thao‘s house
$\rightarrow$ uses derogatory insults like "gook" or "swamp rats"
$\rightarrow$ more than willing to use grave, misanthropic offenses like "You are nothing to me. In Korea, we stacked fucks like you five feet high and used you as sandbags."
$\rightarrow$ racism is a sign of insecurity and inexperience with regard to Walt
$\rightarrow$ doesn‘t know anything about the customs and traditions or the culture of the Hmong people
$\rightarrow$ is convinced that stereotypes and prejudices apply to his neighbours
Walt slowly refrains from his prejudices
$\rightarrow$ Sue is no longer a "gook" to him but the "dragon lady"
$\rightarrow$ learns that Hmong have a lot in common with Americans (were allies of the American during Vietnam war)
$\rightarrow$ sees the young soldier he killed in Thao, this is made clear to him by the Hmong shaman, not the Catholic priest
$\rightarrow$ notices that the Hmong lifestyle (social, family values) align with his attitude towards family (not the consumption-oriented, careless family he has)

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