Gran Torino Sociology

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Race and Ethnicity Gran Torino is a movie about an older white widower, named Walt Kowalski a Korean War veteran, living alone in a neighborhood largely dominated by people of Asian descent. His son and daughter-in-law treat him as a useless old man that has lost his value in society. His grandchildren only want his money or his car. He meets the teenage Asian girl named Sue first and she treats him with respect and as a valuable part of society; as a friend. Her brother Thao tries to steal his priced Gran Torino in an effort to join a local Asian gang that his cousin is in. He gets caught by Walt and Thao’s family sends him next door to do work for Walt as punishment. Walt eventually takes Thao under his wing and teaches him many things.…show more content…
He keeps him out of trouble and out of the gang. In retaliation the gang beats Sue up and threatens their family. No one in the Asian community will do anything to help or tell the police who has done this. Walt, who has come to really like Sue and Thao, is very angry about what has happened and devises a plan to get the gang members arrested. He meets with his priest Father Janovich and confronts the gang members. Walt has been pointing at the gang with his finger positioned like a gun so when he goes to get his lighter out of an inside pocket in his coat they think he has a gun and shoot him several times. He died for his convictions and for his new friends. At the funeral his family and Tao’s family are present. Later at the reading of the will he gives his most prized possession, his Gran Torino, to Thao instead of his granddaughter because he knows that Thao will take as much care of…show more content…
He does not take the time to get to know them personally because of his racism, which only intensifies after Thao tries to take his car. When Thao is forced to help Walt as punishment, Walt considers it an inconvenience and makes his dislike of Thao clear. After Walt spends time with Thao and begins to learn more about him he grudgingly starts to like him. Even though Walt can be quite gruff and irritable towards them, Thao’s family accepts Walt into their home and shows concern over his wellbeing. In the end Walt is able to look past their race and ethnicity, and gives his life to insure Sue and Thao’s safety and
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