Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Gran Torino
So, as we so eloquently said today in class, Walt's a stereotypically racist, crusty old guy. But is that all he is? His action at the end of the film doesn't quite fit such a static image. Is his act of sacrifice for the Lor family a personal, secular act or does it reflect a larger spiritual vision? Is Walt a man of faith? Keep in mind here that I've avoided the term "religious." Shoot for a minimum of 200-300 words.
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Walt throughout the movie disregards religion whenever he is confronted with the topic. Walt's sacrifice was to save the Lor family from more pain and tormenting at the hands of the gang led by Spider. Walt suffered from having the lives of those he killed in the war on his conscience and it is clear it has taken a toll on Walt over the years. Walt locks Thao in his basement to prevent him from getting his revenge on the gang and having to live with not only the consequences but with the deaths he would have caused. Walt knows with experience this is not something you want on your conscience and it's something you have to live with for the rest of your life. Walt's sacrifice was a decision Walt made to protect Thao, someone he cared about, from having to live a life similar to his own. Walt helped Thao stay away from the gang, got him a job, bought him tools, and ended up giving him his Gran Torino. Despite not having a faith in the religious sense, Walt is faithful to his cause of leading Thao on path he would not be able to go down otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAt first it only seems like Walt is only a racist, mean old man, but as the movie progresses, we see that the only reason he comes off like this is because of the things he's undergone in his life including the war and not having a great relationship with his children. Eventually, Walt proves himself to actually be a caring guy, which is definitely shown in his act to save the Lor family from further torment at the hands of the Hmong gang. Walt realizes that he suffers so much from the murders he committed during the war, so he locks Thao in the basement to spare him from this suffering. He also sacrifices himself because of the connection he had developed with Thao and Lor family. By doing this, he helped them avoid further suffering and he saved Thao from becoming like himself. Walt doesn't seem to be faithful to the church or his religion, but he is faithful to his relationship to Thao and the Lor family, which causes him to risk his own life to save theirs.
ReplyDeleteI think that this movie presents a deeper, more profound change in Walt than just learning to accept his ethnic neighbors. I think that the underlying theme of Gran Torino is that Walt forges his own belief system independent of religious or familial values that have defined him for so long. Walt is alienated from both his rich, fast moving family and the church. Everywhere he looks, from his own family to the family next to him, he can't find the solace to accept his past actions. Walt eventually realizes that this acceptance is not going to come from an outside source, it has to come from within. This realization serves as Walt's new belief system, by accepting his hateful and violent actions of the past, rather than relishing them, as he tells Spider's sidekick he will blow a hole in his head and then sleep like a baby, Walt is able to apply these newfound beliefs in real life, by protecting Thao's innocence in a way. That is something that I don't think would have happened if Walt had chosen to follow the doctrine of his church or his family.
ReplyDeleteWhile Walt himself is not necessarily a religious or even a spiritual man, his actions leading up to the climactic finale of the film are most closely synonymous to the life of Jesus Christ. At first glance, we notice that Walt Kawolsky is a handyman, as Jesus was a carpenter. While this does not show intentional symbolism, we receive our first hint that Clint Eastwood's character will represent a larger biblical reference. Walt has many different characteristics than those we would regularly assign to Jesus, (turning the other cheek, for example), yet his final feat at the end of the film is nearly synonymous to Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross so that man kind may be absolved of their sins and live on in peace. Walt sacrifices himself to remove the Hmong gang from Thao and his sister's life. He prevents Thao from bloodying himself and sinning by locking him in the basement and liberates his followers from the tyranny that is "Spider".
ReplyDeleteI dont think Walt was ever just a grumpy old guy, that was just all we saw of him. I think Eastwood purposefully showed Walt in a very one dimensional way at the beginning to lead the audience down the wrong path, so that we, the audience, would be all the more surprised at the end. It is highly unlikely that someone, especially someone as set in his ways as Walt, would make such a drastic emotional change in that period of time. While he did undergo some change after befriending the Lao family, I think Walt probably always had some compassion, especially when his wife was still alive. I think because Walt experienced the horrors of war, he finds it difficult to put his faith in the church. He had only himself to rely on in the war, and now he can't change. I think that is also why he always refuses to call the police, because he can't trust anyone but himself. That is also why, at the end, his confession to the father is not a soul bearing one, but he saves that one for Thao. Walt does not sacrifice himself with religious ideas in mind, but after he is dead Eastwood makes it obvious that there is a religious element by laying his body in a cross, which compares him to Jesus. He was sacrificing himself purely to save the Lor family, though, and to make the gang suffer for their actions. He wanted them to carry around the same burden he was forced to.
ReplyDeleteWalt’s sacrifice at the end of the film is both a personal act and reflects a larger spiritual vision. Walt’s main objective in sacrificing himself was to protect the Lor family from Spider’s gang; however, below the surface Walt also sacrifices himself in order to reach an enlightenment of sorts. Sacrificing himself was almost a way to gain redemption for his sins in Korea. When Walt ‘confessed’ to Thao and told him how it felt to kill another person, it really showed a new side to him. It was clear that Korea had been a horrible experience for Walt and for the rest of his life he had to live with the sin of killing children and people in cold blood. The only way to rid his sin was to sacrifice himself for the Lor family. At the end of the movie, I believe Walt takes a leap of faith by sacrificing himself. Walt could not have been completely sure Spider’s gang would have been arrested or the neighbors would have called the police, but he took a gamble and believed that things would work out and that perhaps some greater power or karma would work in his favor.
ReplyDeleteI thought there were two aspects of this film that are important to discuss. First being the main point of the film. Obviously a lot of it was to do with death, but really the movie dealt with growing up, in Thao's case, and assistance in that and masculinity from Walt. It was even said about Thao that he was doing "women's work", that is, until he started working for and talking with Walt. The two characters are both quite round in this sense, because Thao grows up and Walt reflects on his life and after confessing, (both times) emotionally moves on with his life and can finally die in peace. The second important aspect of the movie is one that challenges it's realism, some people in class today suggested Walt should have just called the cops earlier in stead of dealing with it himself, and then why in the end does he then resort to the police? Well, I think that he has an internal conflict between his masculinity and his patriotism. In the end, he puts his trust in the police of America and after fighting in the war, shows to be a true patriot thinking that America's police can do a lot for him after he dies. He doesn't get the cops involved sooner though, because his own manhood pushes back thinking, "I'm a real man! I fought in wars! I can deal with a few hoodlums by myself because all I need is a gun and my own strength". Finally, and overall, I think it was a great movie, though a tear jerker, and disagree that the acting was bad because it was just realistic.
ReplyDeleteI tend to say yes to Walt having a certain kind of faith if the term can be applied here to have a broad definition. He has an absolute sense of right and wrong, a sort of moral code, however convoluted it may be. Walt sees a relatively untarnished positive force in Thao that he gives his life to protect. He has faith in his protege. This faith extends to all corners of his life. Walt's thoughts towards organized religion, his car, and the way a man should act are strict and stubborn. He has faith in himself, his lifestyle and about the some of the absolute poisons of the world he lives in such as killing. Walt's faith is embodied in his actions and sacrifices, it's just not as explicit or formulaic as the preacher's faith. As Sabrina mentioned above, Walt's time in Korea greatly influenced his beliefs. Walt knows that for himself, redemption isn't an option (i'm at peace). Therefore he doesn't really have a choice in regards to his suicide. He sees an opportunity to do good and he jumps at it. He knows that when these moments arrive, you must sieze them.
ReplyDeleteWalt’s character does seem rather stereotyped. While his relationship with the Lor family displays unusual behavior, it is normal for a lonely, bored widower to reach out and find surrogate family members. The melting of the crusty old heart, which leads to his ultimate sacrifice, also seems stereotyped. While allowing a crazy Korean gang to shoot him may not be typical retiree behavior, finding new hobbies is normal. In the same vein, I think it is entirely natural that Walt should have developed a relationship with God over the course of his new path. That does not necessarily mean the Catholic church—he seemed moved by the words of the Korean shaman more than the words of the Catholic priest. Walt’s final moments on Earth displayed faith. His decisions to leave his house to the church, his Gran Torino to Thao, and the fate of the gang to the court system displayed his faith in his wife, Thao, and the United States respectively. Had Walt had no faith in anything, he would not have given his life and most prized possessions in such a manner. By omitting the word “religious” I think that this question changes significantly. While it can be argued whether or not Walt is a man of faith in a religious sense, he has faith in certain things. I don’t know whether this is the fate of a static or stereotypical person, because faith can’t be generalized like that, but the growth Walt experiences does seem like the only logical conclusion of a movie like Gran Torino.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the film, Walt goes through a clear transformation. However, the transformation to me does not seem at all religious or spiritual. He gains faith within himself and in the people that surround him, but he does not gain faith in the church or through confession. Walt begins to realize that he has lived his life in a sort of seclusion; he admits to never being close to his children and he regrets it. We can assume that he had a good and loving relationship with his life, but after she dies Walt is left alone with his dog in a neighborhood full of people he despises. Walt’s transformation begins when Tao starts working for him and he becomes closer with the family, he begins to see that there is good in the world and he puts his faith and love in Tao and Sue. He wants the children to have a better life than he did, and end up being happy with what they have done. Sabrina’s statement “At the end of the movie, I believe Walt takes a leap of faith by sacrificing himself.” is something that I completely agree with. The word faith is not in the religious sense, but in the sense that Walt has found faith in someone besides himself. He goes through the movie not being able to trust anyone or to ask anyone for help because he thinks it will make him less of a man. Walt carries guns around to prove to himself that he’s a man and he can take violence and judgment in to his own hands. However, during the final seen when Walt pulls out a lighter instead of his gun, we know that he no longer rest his faith on guns, he rest it on him and him only.
ReplyDeleteIt could be that Walt's war experiences have shaped who he is. Maybe that explains why he is reserved when it comes to his emotions; because in war, you have to be. Walt’s racism, at least for Asians, stems from his fighting in Korea. The fact that Walt lives next to this family means that he will have to be around them and inevitably have to get to know them. This is in contrast with his own family, who are never around. Walt’s acceptance with the Lor family is slow on both sides, and both him and his neighbors acclimate to each other. Walt says that he finishes what he starts, and this is a driving factor for his sacrifice at the end. Again, this is attributed to his war experiences, which hardened him. In some sense I don’t feel Walt connected on any more of a spiritual level with the Lor’s than he might have experienced with his fellow soldiers. For him in the was, killing or being killed for what you believed for was standard procedure. In the end I don’t feel that Walt is a man of faith, he I simply someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to do what he thinks is right.
ReplyDeleteWalt is not a man of faith. His retellings of war experiences and blatant cynicism seem to hint at the opposite: that Walt has been disillusioned with, as Father Janovich put it, life and death. Without his wife, Walt appears to stray even further from the path of righteousness by drinking and smoking. This bitter hedonism illustrates Walt’s gritty, realistic attitude towards life. Walt does what the situation demands, combat style. He reacts hands-on, in a wildly vigilante and unholy manner. For example, when Thao tries to steal his Gran Torino, Walt reacts immediately, grabbing his shotgun. Walt uses violence when warranted by injustice. He threatens the men who harass Sue and roughs up a gang member who bullies Thao. Lacking belief in larger forces, Walt makes decisions based on logic and personal involvement, just as he would have during the war. Though Walt seems like a racist, crusty old man during the beginning of the movie, when he gets to know Thao and Sue, he seems to soften up. His relationship with them seems to soften some of his convictions about people, or at least put a damper on some of his racist notions. During the war, Walt was given a medal for keeping on through the violence. The war trained Walt to utilize violence and wreak revenge, and it should come as no surprise that he would sacrifice his own life for those of others.
ReplyDeleteWalt seems to be a racist, crabby, old war vet who lives live in the past. All his actions, views and motivations were preset from when he fought in the war, because the war was such a significant experience in his life. He only begins to let go of some of his ways when he begins to connect with the Lor's. Slowly, like connecting with the Lor’s, he begins to accept the church, not in the religious way, but in another family and community. Walt connects with the Lor family, allowing himself to be vulnerable to pain and suffering with their family was also in pain and suffering. The church parallels that when Walt goes in for the confession and opens himself up. He also, finally, accepts the Priest by no longer referring to him as “Padre”, but rather, “Father”. In the end, Walt sacrifices himself, instilling the indescribable guilt he carried on from the war, on to the gang. He believes that the guilt is much more painful to live with then dying without suffering. Walt was not racist. Walt had the same distain and grouchiness about everyone. Race did not mater. Even after befriending Sue, he constantly makes racist remarks about anything he could think up. He makes the same kind of critical remarks to the barber.
ReplyDeleteOne of the questions that I grappled with at the end of “Gran Torino” was whether Walt had received salvation. I think Walt presents a challenge for those of us who are church members because he does not present himself as a religious man, yet his morals and, more importantly, his actions are consistent with biblical mandates--with the notable exception of “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:14 NRSV). Walt is, in many ways, a challenge to people of faith, reminding us that believing in God and obeying God are often two very different things. The viewer can also extrapolate that the juxtaposition of Walt with his wife is a stark contrast: his wife was a women of faith, but Walt openly declares his dislike for organized religion. However, the question (in my opinion) of whether Walt’s actions have spiritual meaning depends on whether one can connect spirituality with religion. If, as many Christians say, Walt cannot be saved unless he accepts Christ as his “personal Lord and Savior”, his courageous, selfless actions have no impact on his "salvation status". I tend to believe that there are many paths that lead to the same end, so I think Walt’s bravery is enough to grant him some form of spiritual reward despite his distaste for traditional religious institutions. Walt is a man of faith in action rather than simply in words, so, in many ways he is a “better” believer than regular churchgoers who believe in Christ without trying to live like Him.
ReplyDeleteI think the content of Walt’s character does not necessarily change throughout the movie. Towards the last few scenes, most importantly his preparation before he dies, he finally becomes a vulnerable person. It’s like his character has been discovered towards the end. I do not believe that Walt changed from being an old, crusty, racist man. However, I do believe that at the end of the movie he was finally at peace. I considered that as probably the first time he let his past go and became ok with and forgiving of himself. Although he did not confess to the priest about the war and how many men he had killed, he still let a lot of his troubles and worry off of his shoulders. And, he left the world as he would have wanted. He brought happiness and peace to the Lor family and the neighborhood. He died an honorable death and lived the last bit of his life for other people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lizzie that he has reached his own sense of salvation. However complicated and windy the path was, he figured himself out in the end and knew what he wanted to live and die for.
KP
ReplyDeleteI think Walt is a crusty, old, racist man because he does not know how to live with what he had to do in the war. I guess he feels that if he acts the way he does that will keep everyone distant from him and he won't hurt any one else. Living with the fact that you killed somebody is a tough thing to do and on top of that he got a medal of honor for doing so. I guess his salvation came through meeting Toad. The Lor family showed him equality and treated him like a normal person unlike his real family who treated him like an old man and just wanted his stuff and to put him in a retirement home. At first he tried to push Toad away but through out the movie Toad became a second chance for him in the fact that he aloud Walt to treat Toad the way he wished he would have treated his son. The sacrifice he mad for the Lor family was his way of giving Toad and his sister a chance at having a good life. I don't think Walt was a spiritual person, but the Jesus did come out of him when he did what he did. He just felt that it was the best thing to, and at the same time he didn't have to suffer with living with all that hurt inside of him.
Can't anybody perceive that Thao IS to Walt, the mirror of the "scared little gook, just like you" that he shot in the face in Korea, and can't live with what he did? The whole film is Walt's (the racist and the soldier) work towards redemption, which he achieves by helping Thoa into adulthood and being a father figure to him, and finally by giving his life to free the Lor family. He has tried to make up for the sins he committed in Korea.
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