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Walt Kowalski

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Walt Kowalski
Clint Eastwood’s contemporary film portrays Walt Kowalski, a former Korean War veteran and Ford auto worker, who lives in a rundown Hmong neighborhood in Detroit that previously was majority white. Walt is a racist who ends up taking Thao, his Korean neighbor, under his wing after he tried to steal Walt’s Gran Torino. While there friendship slowly develops, Walt teaches Thao how to become a man, takes on a gang that is a bad influence on Thao, overtime becomes close with his Korean neighbors, but struggles with his salvation, his past, family, and lung cancer. Walt Kowalski is not a man who shows signs of sympathy or sadness. He commonly speaks his mind whether the comments are offensive or politically incorrect. Walt also battles with his past concerning war and mistakes he has made regarding his family. He has a stubborn, no-nonsense attitude that boils down to hate and anger. On numerous occasions throughout the film does Walt display racism. …show more content…
Spooks, zipperhead,fishheads, gooks, and swamp rats are all spoken by Walt. However, when Walt begins to know Thao and his sister Sue, he realizes these two are good kids who simply seek guidance from him. Walt is also culturally enriched when he visits Thao’s house and meets the family. He participates in a hand reading, enjoys Hmong food, and gets increasingly comfortable around the family. The relationship grows strong enough to the point that Walt lets Thao borrow his Gran Torino, which Thao previously tried to steal. After Sue was beaten and raped by the Hmong gang do we see Walt show sympathy and sadness. This then climaxes to Walt being shot and sacrificing his declining life so Thao and Sue can find peace and happiness in their lives. Walt went from being a lonely, hardcore racist, to sacrificing himself for the good of his neighbors he once
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