Through You I Learned, Grew, and Felt

793 Words2 Pages

The Gran Torino was first made in 1968; and for Walt, this car is his happiness. In the film, Gran Torino, directed and starring Clint Eastwood, Walt Kowalski is a bitter, aggressive, and racist Polish-American man, who through the course of time learns to accept his surroundings. Through his neighbors Thao and Sue, Walt learns to appreciate and greatly care for the Hmong people. Gran Torino symbolizes Walt’s past, Walt’s masculinity, and the progression of Walt’s character over time attributed to Thao by their friendship.
Thao’s attempt to steal Walt’s Gran Torino created an unexpected relationship between the two.Throughout this friendship, Walt goes from being a racist, bitter old man to a more revived, friendlier individual. During his week of penance, Walt shows Thao the “American” way of working by telling him that “some WD-40, vise grip, and duct tape” is all a needed to fix any problem there was (Gran Torino). Initially, Walt completely despised his Hmong neighbors; however, after learning from his neighbor Sue that they had fought on the American side during the war, his views changed slowly. Walt took it upon himself to raise Thao into a man, by teaching him the expressions most commonly used in America. It is speculated that Walt treated Thao almost like his son, and not only Thao, but he was like a father figure to Sue also. This may stem from the fact that after he returned home from the war, the bitter memories possessed him, and in turn they kept him from loving children completely. This undefined affection for Thao peaked when Walt confessed the story of when he murdered an innocent soldier trying to give up. He never wants Thao to have the “sin of killing another man;” Walt does not want Thao to feel the same in...

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..., then he even did with his own family. He allowed a Hmong priest to give him a reading, which reveals how Walt is slowing beginning to understand the Hmong people and not only that, but also “lighten up” to them. The Gran Torino is an old relic, and it is the source of happiness to Walt. It may be the only thing, besides his dog, Daisy, that he truly cares for. Walt has a strong attachment to the car because it symbolizes a much happier time, with his wife, and also, before the war. The car is American made, which shows how no matter how much time passes by, no matter who moves in and out, and no matter how diverse his surroundings get, he will always be an American.
Walt’s character progression is phenomenal throughout the film. His masculinity, his past, and his affection towards Thao developed through their friendship, are symbolized through his Gran Torino.

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