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drinking buddies he sees occasionally Dorothy was his only connection to his surrounding/society Character/ Identity seems to be shaped by war Wants to be left alone but starts to connect to Thao and Sue MASCULINITY Stereotypical behavior of a man (solving problems on his own, gun, always strong and not showing emotions, working-class men/ blue-collar-worker) Using violence to deal with issues (taking his gun when people stepped on his lawn) THAO VÀNG LOR GENERAL Grows up in a female household without a male role model Lack of self-confidence, is torn between gender roles and Hmong and American culture and traditions (national identity) - is searching for identity FATHER Thao has no true father figure because of Thao being a man doing female chores his masculinity gets questioned by the family Through the things Walt teaches Thao, Walt becomes a father figure/ role model for him MASCULINITY Succeeds in doing men's work during the "manning up process" from Walt Thao works for the community and is happy about it Starts dating Youa, learned to talk like a man and got a job - stereotypical man SUE LOR GENERAL Self-confident, knows what she wants, educated/ bilingual and stubborn Protects her family and stands up against the gang Bridges - helps to start/ develop the relationship between Walt and her family (link between Hmong people and Walt/ American society) Her tough behavior is dangerous for her as a woman because men are stronger (gang raped her and showed the male gender as the "dominant" one) RELATIONSHIPS WALT&THAO BEFORE DEVELOPMENT Walt being disrespectful, calling him "Toad" or a "big fat pussy" and telling him that he does not behave like a man Thao needs to walk off his guilt to undo his dishonoring of the family (after trying to steal the GT) DURING DEVELOPMENT Walt still thinks Thao is not able to do anything (first exercise was to count birds) Thao is growing experience while working for Walt Is happy about work - disappointed when Walt waves him off Thao is impressed by the amount of tools Walt has Start of "manning up process" - start of friendship Addressing personal matters - Walt needing to see a doctor, Thao's issue with the gang, ... Walt giving Thao the opportunity to develop confidence + self-esteem AFTER DEVELOPMENT Walt as a role model and father figure for Thao Protecting and helping each other - Walt beats the gang leader up; Thao helps Walt to carry the washing machine Walt lets Thao take the most important thing in his life, the Gran Torino, for his date - symbol of trust WALT&SUE BEFORE DURING AFTER Same as Thao: Walt has racial prejudices against the Lor Family and does not want to talk to none of them AFTER After saving Sue from the harassment, she experienced on her date he is telling her a lecture seems like a father-daughter talk but still racist (she should break up and stay with her own kind) Although Walt is racist towards the Lors', Sue starts to like him and invites him to come over to their barbeque party Sue tries to bridge and forces Thao to go to Walt and excuse for his behavior - working for him Sue explains him the Hmong traditions and behavior - Walt seems to realize that he has more in common with the Hmong family than with his own family by blood Feeling connected to the Hmong culture/ Sue - Sue calling him "Wally" WALT&HIS SONS/ FAMILY BEFORE Failed communication They are just calling Walt if they need something Mitch and his wife are misjudging Walt (thinking he is too old and can not handle his chores), they want him to move into a retirement home (so they do not have to take care of him and have his house) Grandchildren are also just interested in his good (Niece asking/ hoping to get his Gran Torino) He wants to open to his sons and tell them about his problems/ illness, but he is insecure and does not know how to handle the situation - instead just asks how the sons are going and getting blocked off because Mitch had work (helpless attempt to get closer before his death) Walt feels guilty about the failed relationship to his sons (confession) WALT&OTHERS FATHER JANOVICH Only connection is Walt's deceased wife Dorothy and the church Walt does not respect him at first (21-year-old virgin...), but changes his point of view in a few aspects after their personal conversation He makes Walt face his past again, but Walt just feels guilty for kissing another girl, disconnection to his sons and not having paid taxes BARBER (MARTIN) Going regularly - are familiar with each other, one of his few friends Using a lot of swearwords, being "manly" around each other Walt takes Thao to the barber to show him how a real man should talk SYMBOLS GRAN TORINO Walt's most important and expensive memory to the past (working for Ford) and his deceased wife Symbol for his masculinity ("muscle car"), stands for America's past and its values (old school) Showing off the Gran Torino as a symbol for Walt's pride of being a true American Start of Thao's and Walt's friendship (stealing the car) - shows closeness of their friendship because Walt trusts Thao with the car (for the date, after his death) Walt's symbolic presence after his death-Thao becoming the "new" Walt TOOLS/ BEER/CIGARETTES Things a man should have/do to truly be masculine Cigarettes: His illness and him coughing blood because of his lung cancer Tools: Showing Thao how a man should behave and what he as a man must have in his household (manning - up process) Borrowing Thao his tools - symbol of trust GUNS (SYMBOLIC OR REAL) Walt points at the African Americans who were harassing Sue, also pointing/ pretending to shoot at Spiders gang- should threaten Walt always shows his guns and weapons but never uses them - in contrast to the Hmong gang Guns are a symbol for masculinity and strength, being able to defend yourself To Walt: defending himself because he does not want any help from others but also to defend the people that are important to him e.g., Sue at her date or the Lor Family as their house got shot at To the Gang: Violence, showing their dominance and that they will even kill innocent people to receive respect But also, guns being the end of the Gang, because Walt tricked them Materialistic connection to Korean War MIRROR Self-recognition (self-acceptance) realizing that he is seriously ill or has more in common with people he did not respect in the beginning (Hmong people) than his own family by blood Key-scene: Him fleeing in the bathroom at the BBQ-Party at the Lors' Home and watching his perception towards the Hmong people changing LIGHTER/ MEDAL OF HONOR Reminder of Walt's guilt Carries his lighter with him since 1951 (reminds him of his war crimes) - dealing with his trauma Gets shot by the gang- takes the lighter from his pocket to trick the gang members - unloading his burden from the past and ending the gang violence towards Thao and Sue (ending something bad - his past, starting something new and good - Thao's and Sue's peaceful life) CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER BACKGROUND AND CHARACTERS SETTING Mississippi: a state in the US with a history of racism and slavery, confederate state with racial segregation It takes place in Chabot in the late 1970's and tells the story of two half-brothers, Silas and Larry, who are torn apart and slowly come together again CHARACTERS LARRY OTT His unusual hobbies and interests are making him a misfit: reading (horror stories), interested in nature and fishing He feels empathy to monsters because that is how other people see him He lives in a remote place - he does not have the ability to meet up with others when he is not at school, he was often ill/ not at school He was teased and bullied by other kids "when he stuttered the other boys laughed" He has always wanted friends but cannot shake off his reputation of being an outsider - Halloween Party He struggles with judging if people really want to be friends or not, he is very naive - judged the situation with Cindy completely wrong The combination of his naivety and desperate loneliness leads him to trust/ talk to Wallace SILAS JONES Local police constable He takes risks - when he defends Cindy against her father but also does not follow her that night even though he knew Cecil was waiting He had lied to himself about his past, after 25 years he was forced to tell the truth and admit his guilt, exonerate Larry - secret hindered him to live his life to the full No father figure in his childhood, there was just his mother and the several boyfriends she had from time to time, was shook after he realized that his real father was Carl Ott Jealous of Larry as a kid: warm place to live, family, land to call his own vs. Silas' hunting cabin As an adult Silas realized he was lucky not to have grown up as Larry did: toxic household, ostracizing from society/ school RELATIONSHIPS LARRY&SILAS At a young age they became friends despite social and family pressure (used to explore woods, go hunting and fishing) - had to keep their friendship a secret because of their different skin colors Connection: Both had a lack of a father figure that takes care of them (Silas: physically, Larry: emotionally), both like storytelling Friendship got destroyed after the fight for the rifle and Larry insulted Silas with racial slurs Silas let Larry take the blame regarding Cindy Walker, betrayal LARRY&CARL OTT Larry is not accepted by his dominant and abusive father who is raising his son by demanding respect instead of showing love scared of him Carl enjoys other people's humiliation (Cecil falling from the tree, Larry losing the fight against Silas) Although he hates his work, he would rather go there instead of sitting at home with Larry Carl disrespects and insults Larry as a daily routine and questions his masculinity Larry cannot live up to Carl's expectations and gets oppressed by him LARRY&INA OTT She is a very religious housewife, her solution to Larry's problems is prayer - just passive support She loves and protects her son, wants him to be happy, the date with Cindy was a big deal for her because Larry never had one before Does not really know/ understand what life is like for Larry She develops dementia after Larry is accused of killing Cindy, does not even recognize her son but her chickens, perhaps because any faint memories she may still have of people is too painful LARRY&WALLACE STRINGFELLOW Larry enjoys his company since he never has visitors - Wallace offers Larry "friendship", something nobody else has done for years - meanwhile overlooking his flaws Connection: both are in the same position in society - they are both outcasts but have clearly different personalities Wallace is obsessed with Larry and commits a "copycat murder" in honor of his hero Although Wallace has many sick fantasies, is abusive towards his pets and disrespectfully talks about raping women, Larry worries and cares about him - desperately searching a friend or company SILAS&ALICE JONES Alice works hard to make a better life for them (possibility for Silas to go to college), which Silas does not appreciate or acknowledge at the time - later he realized how bad he treated his mother They lived in Chicago but moved to Mississippi to start a new life - they grew together and apart at the same time BOOKS She is afraid of the repercussion of Silas' relationship with Cindy, because she had a similar experience herself with Carl Ott CINDY & CECIL ETC Cindy's date changes Larry's, Silas', and her life forever because she gets killed by Cecil afterwards Before the date Cecil already was an abusive stepfather who always harassed her and wanted to have sex with her Cindy tries to stand up to her stepfather, but it does not help, rather makes it worse Cecil is friends with Carl, and they are very alike - both abuse and insult their children SYMBOLS Showing Larry's loneliness and his only safe place - books are an escape from reality for him Being excluded and isolating himself from his daily life - seemingly never-ending spiral of loneliness Connection between Silas and Larry: interest in books/ storytelling CHICKENS Connection to his mother (she only remembers her chickens, not even her son) Only "friends", he takes care of them as if they were real human beings (talking to them) When Larry was admitted to the hospital, Silas took care of the chickens because he knew how Larry did it Chickens are very cowardly and so are Larry and Silas: Larry: too cowed to move away or change something about his situation, Silas: too cowed to tell the truth about the past and letting Larry bare the burden for 25 years THE ZOMBIE MASK & THE CABIN Larry owned one and put it on Halloween night - people were interested in his mask, Larry felt like he belonged The mask hides his real self and helps him escape from reality (similar as his books) - he wears the mask when he reads horror stories GUNS Larry used the mask to scare Wallace as he appears in Larry's barn It seems like a safe place for Larry, till his injury - Larry was being shot by Wallace (wearing the mask) He feels sorry for person behind the mask (Wallace) because he knows that there is more behind that mask than you can see from outside/ prejudging Larry and seeing him as a monster he is supposed to be - Story of Larry's life Mask gets thrown away by Larry-removal of prejudices and otherness people have felt towards Larry (no longer the monster people saw before) SNAKES & MAILBOX Snakes are a general sign for evil or betrayal Wallace puts snakes in Irina's mailbox - his behavior is disloyal, and he is very dangerous, you could compare him to a snake and her characteristics + a snake was found next to Larry's body after he got shot (sign for Wallace) Larry brings snakes and tries to impress other people to belong Date: Cindy runs over a snake - sign for a fatal outcome of their relationship Snakes do also connect Silas and Larry because they both caught snakes together as they were little - Silas learnt a lot from Larry about them Snakes evoke death: Silas thinking of snakes at M&M's dead body Multiple meanings for different people, but in general they always brought violence and destroy Silas had never used a gun before - Larry showed him how to use one because he leant to shoot early and gave him one of Carl's rifles - symbol of betrayal, Carl gave it Larry as a symbol of respect Gun stands for their friendship: Lead to a big fight between the two boys (also because of Carl) - after Larry lost the fight Carl degraded him and gave Silas the gun as a sign of masculinity and strength Larry also got shot by Wallace with a gun Carl has several firearms because it was normal to have multiple in the south and it shows masculinity to use one CROOKED LETTER Beginning of the book says that the book is named CLCL because of the way children in the south learned to write Mississippi KEY TOPICS AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING DEFINITION To be torn in between where you belong or want to belong to, to struggle to belong AMBIGIOUS Things, that can be understood in at least two different ways (open to interpretation) unclear, confusing, vague generally used to describe things people do or say AMBIVALENT One feels at least two ways about something mixed feelings/ attitudes, contradictory ideas generally used to describe people, feelings, attitudes, relationships BELONGING A feeling of being happy or comfortable as a part of a particular group or community and having a good relationship with the other members, because they welcome & accept you contributes to one's happiness and self-esteem based on intimate or secure connections with people or places Negative way: feeling dependent to someone/ being forced to belong to somebody or someone Maslow's Pyramid of needs shows how important a feeling of belonging is RELATIONSHIPS AND IDENTITY Establishing and maintaining - relationships shape our open-mindedness vs. narrow point of view Crisis, development, building up/ establishing identity SCENES/ EXAMPLES WALT MOMENTS OF BELONGING Belonging to a place: sitting on his porch with his dog, drinking beer and admiring his Gran Torino Belonging to his community: meeting his friends at the bar (drinking and racist jokes), getting a haircut and joking with his old friend Martin the barber generally, he belongs to the stereotypical American culture and masculinity HIS ALIENATION/ NOT BELONGING no real connection to his surroundings just a few American friends (barber, at the bar) estranged from his family - lack of communication, trust, and love distancing himself from the church (just went there because of his wife) does not belong to his neighborhood anymore - Detroit ("last of his kind", "the last survivor") rejects Hmong culture declines the offers from father Janovich trapped in the past - unwilling to allow change AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING a member of American society vs. feels alienated from his neighborhood belongs to the older generations ("real American"), old values/ traditions vs. feeling connected to the Hmong culture and their new values and beliefs racial prejudices against immigrants vs. feeling belonging to the Lor's belonging to family by blood vs. belonging to family by heart (Hmong people) haunted by his guilt/ past vs. being proud of his patriotic past (keeping medals/ weapons) living a joyful life with his wife and belonging to her vs. losing joy and living life without peace after her death - his "safe place" and person he felt most belonging to passed and he lost himself in alienation/ isolation, loneliness, bitterness, guilt/ regret Korean war veterans were treated badly after returning home NEW BELONGING find values in the Hmong community (overcomes some of his racial prejudices) protects Hmong neighborhood from the gang + maintains it with Thao's help saves Sue from the black gang and got convinced by her to come to the Lor's BBQ party becoming a mentor/ father figure to Thao (and Sue), finds his purpose opens and reaches out to other people instead of handling things by his own (Lor family, father Janovich, his son Mitch) invites Youa and the Lor family to a BBQ-substitute family Respects church and father Janovich ("Call me Walt", confesses before his death) He faces and accepts his past for a better future (for Sue and Thao) - salvation, sacrifice THAO MOMENTS OF BELONGING Cultural belonging (Hmong) was raised with Hmong values, wears traditional clothes at Walt's funeral, speaks language NOT BELONGING criticized by his family about his female appearance ("never becomes the man of the house") he does not rebel and does not want to be part of the violent gang (just forcibly: stealing the Gran Torino) as most of the men from the Hmong culture ("girls go to college and boys go to jail") wants to go to college and assimilate but cannot AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING taking care of the family and household vs. following the traditional way of a male Hmong - the gang, but out of desperation (gender roles) Hmong culture vs. American masculinity - does not have a plan for his future Torn between two nationalities and struggles to form his own identity - rooted in nit having a father figure NEW BELONGING Through the help of Walt being able to develop himself and find a job as a construction worker - American way of life (Manning-up process) Inherits the Gran Torino - complete American male identity Walt as a new role model and father figure who shows Thao how to behave as a "real man" (masculinity/ gender roles) SUE MOMENTS OF BELONGING Her strong and well-integrated personality gives her the opportunity to belong to the American culture (going to college, having an American boyfriend - date) Is connected to the Americans but is still deeply rooted in the Hmong culture - feeling home in both spheres makes it possible for her to bridge the gap between two worlds (Walt and Lor's) AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING International competence: Hmong vs. American Wants to be independent vs. responsibility/ translator for her family Feeling safe around her home and the Hmong people vs. getting raped by her own cousin Bridging and establishing the connection to Walt - building up a friendship vs. he sacrifices himself and she is left by herself with the trauma of the rape Does not fit into her family's expectations of a quiet, well-adapted young girl LARRY MOMENTS OF BELONGING He felt like he belonged to Silas in his childhood (sharing interests, playing, trusting each other, being half-brothers) Halloween party (people seemed to recognize him, but just because of his mask) - feeling of popularity and what it feels like having friends At the meal before the date with Cindy, Carl tells funny stories and the family laughs together Feeling appreciated and seen as he went on a date with Cindy (feeling vanished as she told him that she was just using him) EXCLUSION/ NOT BELONGING Larry is not accepted by the white kids in school Gets excluded because of his interests (reading vs. sport) He is considered strange and as the odd one out - nobody wants to risk getting too friendly with him Social and physical isolation from society continues into his adulthood Not being accepted from his father - he is called a pussy or not manly enough (fight with Silas) AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING His own real but unclear identity vs. the identity and personality the society gives him (Scarry Larry) Wanting and trying to belong (Party, Cindy, Silas) vs. not being able to form bonds because he gets ostracized Having a successful friendship and being able to share interests (with Silas) vs. destroying it through the fight finding a real friendship that fits to his values vs. settling for less and developing ambiguous friendship to Wallace or destroying friendships/ opportunity to form friendships through his attempt ("Money lips") will to have a better life and living in peace vs. not doing anything for it (moving and letting go the past) - sense of belonging seems to be limited to places (garage, house), animals (chickens) or things (books) being himself and living his life with his interests in books and nature vs. his father and the kids at school bullying him for being different and not manly enough his parents never gave him the opportunity to express himself (roots - wings) SILAS MOMENTS OF BELONGING To Larry (half-brothers, friendship, ...) - belonging to each other by blood Although he was new because he moved from Chicago- fits in with the other black kids (belonged to the "cool kids") Feeling safe and connected to Cindy (feeling of belonging needed to be a secret because of their skin color) His identity is clear regarding his relationship to the society - police constable who is successful in what he does Belonging to his current girlfriend Angie (supporting and loving relationship) NOT BELONGING To his father - he got raised by his mother only and had no male role model/ figure found out that Carl was his father/ Larry his half-brother - questioning his whole well-built existence and the identity he developed getting discriminated and excluded because of his skin color - segregation AMBIGUITY OF BELONGING living in a peaceful and supporting black neighborhood in Chicago vs. moving to Chabot where he gets confronted with white racism and a feeling of unacceptance-changing social standing belonging to Larry as half-brother and friend vs. excluding him as the rest of the society does belonging to Cindy and having a secret relationship vs. trusting his mothers experience and cancelling Cindy's and his relationship integrated well and belongs to the "cool" kids at school vs. getting along with Larry being successful in the present with a good job and girlfriend vs. bearing the burden from the past and not opening about it staying silent, burying the past in his thoughts, and letting Larry live the life of a person of interest vs. being honest and revealing the past and release Larry from his burden RACISM & STEREOTYPES IN THE USA American Way of life (white flight) vs. new immigrants in America (black flight) - racially segregated society Cultural mix in the USA - more colorful society (white people are not the only ones who represent the country anymore After the abolition of slavery, immigrants/ black people were still exposed to violence, lynching, discrimination, and segregation Civil Rights Movement fought against racism-achieved a lot but there are still racial issues EXAMPLES GRAN TORINO A strong anti-racist message, but also criticism for confirming racial stereotypes (black men hanging around the street = danger, Asian girls = smart, good at assimilating) Social norm: "stick to your own kind" if you want to avoid violence Accepting and acknowledging ongoing changes in society (diversity in culture, skin color, religion, gender, ...) WALT CROOKED LETTER Sems to have an anti-racist message at first (black main character is not discriminated but still racial and cultural discrimination/ hatred towards each other) LARRY generally having prejudices against immigrants (especially the Hmong culture in his neighborhood) patriotic thinking: detests Mitch's Japanese car (vs. American Gran Torino) feeling visible uncomfortable about the multicultural mix of people in the doctor practice (Muslim calling him - pronouncing his name wrongly, new female Asian doctor - his American habit breaks) Racial slurs and prejudices from Korean war - Makes many jokes with racial prejudices against all "gooks" and "swamp rats" - but he leaned and embraced himself SILAS Representation of both cultures - but connections/ relationships must remain secret Racism is rather represented in the way people speak (Carl calls the Walkers "poor as n-word", Larry calls Carolyn "monkey lip" or Silas "n-word") or behave in general (segregated community - school, neighborhoods, relationships) Adolescence: insulting black schoolmates to feel a sense of belonging (fails - results in him getting excluded completely), being raised by a racist father who does not respect colored people (experiences racism since childhood) Adulthood: distancing himself from racism and seems to be neutral (not sharing Wallace's hatred against other races/ women) Society is still drenched with racism: Larry and Silas have to keep their friendship a secret Racial otherness - being discriminated because of racial differences In the all-black neighborhood in Chicago Silas feels accepted and well-integrated (does not know what segregation/ discrimination is because he never experienced it) After moving to Chabot, he is confronted with white racism and has difficulties establishing a network of friends Silas' friendship/relationship to Larry/ Cindy is (from Alice's point of view) not primarily due to racism LONELINESS AND ISOLATION DEFINITION Loneliness is the unhappiness that is felt by someone because they do not have any friends or do not have anyone to talk to OPPOSITE OF LONELINESS The opposite of loneliness is an individual feeling and different for everyone Mainly: happiness, inner/ outer peace, belonging, feeling safe, acceptance, independence, comfort LONELY VS. ALONE BEING LONELY Being by yourself because you don't have anyone to talk to Loneliness is a feeling you get when other people choose to e.g., exclude you Isolated, outcast, abandoned, lone, withdrawn, estranged, friendless BEING ALONE EXAMPLES Being by yourself because you want to spend time alone Solitude is a choice everyone can make by their own Solitary, separate, apart, detached, by yourself, unaccompanied GRAN TORINO WALT THAO Alienates himself because of his patriotic view of life - old school thinking not feeling accepted/ comfortable in his neighborhood/family- does not want to belong anyways creates loneliness by himself - Ambiguity: lonely vs. alone - he creates loneliness by alienating himself and being alone SILAS His only opposite of loneliness, his wife, died - consequence is him being grumpy and isolating himself from the developing modern world Especially in the beginning: lonely He is not part of the Hmong teenagers and isolates himself from them (BBQ party, sitting by himself instead of talking to the other kids) Emotional loneliness because of his ambiguity of belonging - he is confused/ indecisive about his identity Lonely regarding a male role model - lack of a father figure CROOKED LETTER LARRY Geekiness Otherness - being discriminated because of social differences (nerdy behavior) Larry's loneliness follows him from childhood to adulthood (his mother is praying for him to find a friend - still gets avoided by his predominantly black classmates) His loneliness made him desperate - he even accepts such a weird character as Wallace as a "friend" Larry's loneliness and constant will to belong somewhere makes him very naïve and easily manipulable (is willing to join Ken& David in their racist pranks or makes it easy for Cindy to use Larry as a driver at their date) Only one loneliness-free moment: Halloween Party After Cindy's disappearance: he accepts that he is lonely INA OTT Feeling of loneliness in her family - her husband and son are having a toxic relationship to each other; she cannot place herself (left alone in a family that should give a feeling of belonging) Suffers the impact of her son's role as a murder suspect - inhabitants of her nursery home avoid her Withdraws from reality to be alone No physical loneliness because he has a good job, a girlfriend, and a positive acknowledgement among the society But emotional loneliness - guilt, burden from the past comes up in the depth of his mind Family loneliness: not knowing who his father was (no connection to him) + letting his mother behind in Fulsom although he knows she is lonely ALICE WALLACE Alice is forced to remain alone with her son since the father is a married man Feeling alone with no one to help her since her boyfriends just used/ liked her because of her physical appearance She is a single mother and feels left alone and not appreciated by her son although she did everything, she could to enable him a successful life - moving from Chicago (now alone in Fulsom) She holds on to her only opposite of loneliness, her son, and sends him postcards MASCULINITY He is an outsider from society because of his deviant behavior and strange habits He hopes to find a similar strange friend who shares his interests to overcome his strange loneliness but fails Loneliness represented by his affection to snakes. DEFINITION WALT THAO EXAMPLES The term 'masculinity' refers to the roles, behaviors and attributes that are considered appropriate for boys and men in each society Walt is the traditional definition of masculinity - shaped by war experience (showed him how to act quickly in order to survive and not to rely on others) - self-reliance and self-defense A man should know how to use machines and tools-big variety of tools in his garage underlines his masculinity knowing how to use a gun/ protect yourself and your family - using his violence for good not showing weakness and dealing with problems by your own (using violence) Chain-smoker and drinking alcohol as a typical male attitude Vulgar language, commanding tone, dominance Having a girlfriend/ a job/money/ a car Married and raised a family (modern American family) Male identity is shaped by social expectations Talking to his barber "like a man": playfully insulting each other and bitching about others Generally outdated idea of masculinity He is searching for his male identity (criticized for being too female compared to his male peers/ gang Walt helps him with the manning-up process - shows him what a real man behaves like and to help him get along in daily life Thao achieving the Gran Torino is the last step in his development from a teenager to a male adult LARRY& CARL OTT Like Walt's picture of masculinity: very old-school and patriotic Carl disrespected Larry in many ways and did not make it a secret that he would rather have a sporty, tall, and handsome son who was good with his hands (sports>reading) A man should be good at fighting - Carl finds it pathetic that Larry is weaker than Silas and cannot get the rifle back WALT He insults Larry multiple times because he is not manly enough ("momma's boy", "pussy") Carl rewards Silas with the gun they fought for - as a symbol of masculinity because he was stronger and won ROLE MODELS/ PARENTS QUALITIES A PARENT/ ROLE MODEL SHOULD HAVE Taking physical care Acceptance Understanding Support Love Enable a feeling of belonging Ambivalent relationship to his sons - not really feeling like he belonged to them (his sons seem to not have a supporting and loving father figure/ they also do not behave like they need one - selfishness) Friendship to the Lor's embraced Walt's emotional side and he developed a few qualities which let Walt seem like a father to Sue and Thao (showing how to use tools, get a job, talk like a real man) He even wants to better his relationship to his son after he got the news about his illness (make amends for their failed relationship in the past) Throughout the film he developed positively (from grumpy, old, lonely man to loving, supporting man/ father) Finds his purpose in teaching Sue and Thao - fills the hole of his wife Dorothy CARL/ INA OTT Very toxic and abusive relationship Larry Contrary to Walt, Carl stays as offensive as he was, it even gets worse after the date - till death He neither accepts or supports nor does he really love Larry - he has no empathy for him, and he is proudly showing his dislike towards his disappointing son His mother seems to try to support her son but fails in many ways (wants to support and accept him the way he is, but almost never contradicts Carl when he insults their son After the incident with Cindy Walker the family breaks apart - Carl develops an alcohol addiction and dies in a car accident, Ina develops Alzheimer which leads to her forgetting nearly everything except her chickens (Larry is left on his own and only a hand full positive memories of his parents) Ina supports a family dominated by a man who fails to talk to his son or wife in order to find mutual acceptance WOMEN ROLES GENERAL SUE women as side characters and sexualized (Silas describing Angie sexually, Sue/ Alice getting raped) they are mediators and there for helping the main characters reach their goal/ fulfill their lives INA OTT ANGIE while the main characters Walt and Thao are each having a positive development, Sue's life goes upside down (from happy and self-confident to insecure and traumatized) Her bridging is one of the most important aspects how Walt and the Lor's got in contact, still she has no positive influence from it except for a new friend (compared to Thao who got taught many useful things for life and inherited the Gran Torino) Her character itself had no development in identity-finding or self-improvement, she was mainly there to form a staircase for the male characters to have their moment - means for the purpose She is also just a small side character with no right to speak up against her husband and is there for emphasizing Carl's manliness and dominance Ina is not able to help her son enough to get him out of his bullying, even strengthens Larry's feeling of loneliness by staying passive Not strong enough to make her own decisions Even after getting humiliated and cheated on she stays with her abusive husband - dependent from Carl ALICE JONES one of the few first seemingly strong woman characters compared to the male characters she is still very small depicted/ mentioned and similar to Angie (just connected to Silas) ambiguous: strong and being able to get herself and her son away from her toxic boyfriend vs. depending on male characters to be mentioned and still being a victim of rape and disgust men always admired her because of her look/ body and not because they wanted to be a part of her life, knows how to use her appearance for her advantage She did try to create a new life by herself (to enable Silas a successful life) but even after her terrible life and the issues she went through, Silas left her behind ungratefully and afterwards she seems forgotten by everyone Again, her effort did not pay off for her own development but for Silas' one Dead in the end Described with a strong personality and as only woman with independence and a job, still she is just mentioned with Silas and sometimes sexualized She gives him a feeling of belonging/ support and is in general really loving she respects and appreciates him and still he has difficulties opening up to her and being honest about his emotions Although she is one aspect of getting Silas to speak up about his past, she does not get the recognition and appreciation for it GUN VIOLENCE GUN CULTURE IN AMERICA 2nd Amendment guarantees a well-regulated militia and states that weapons are meant for well trained militias who are qualified to use a gun Shortly after, the Supreme Court confirmed the 2nd Amendment as an individual right- every state can decide how they handle gun control by themselves EXAMPLES FOR GUN CULTURES MICHIGAN/ DETROIT 18 years Valid Michigan drivers license or state identification card, application, background check, weapons need to be registered MISSISSIPPI Almost everyone is allowed to carry hidden, loaded guns in public without background check or law enforcement oversight NEVADA WALT 18 years old Allowed to purchase every gun without a license of safety training NEW YORK/ CALIFORNIA 21 years old Safety training, registration, and background check EXAMPLES He does not hesitate to take his guns out e.g., to scare the gang away, for self-defense Never actually pulls the trigger out of conviction (shot in the garage - result of tripping and falling) Gran Torino was the start of the spiral of violence - spiral stops as he sacrificed himself (without using violence) He used the knowledge he had about the gang's use of weapons to get them into jail POSITIVE EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE Walt successfully uses violence to keep the Hmong family and himself safe NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE Walt is haunted by his guilt - he used violence to kill innocent people during war (may have caused mental illnesses e.g., trauma) THE GANG The gang uses weapons as expression of dominance, strength and masculinity They demonstrate their power in committing crimes, always having weapons/guns with them Guns were also the end of the gang - they shot Walt unfoundedly SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES SIMILARITIES RACISM AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES Both deal with racial discrimination/ segregation Interaction of different cultures and prejudices against each other Illustration of how cultural differences can lead to violence (Walt vs. Hmong (gang), black vs. white people in CL) But also, friendship (Walt - Sue& Thao, Silas - Larry/ Cindy) Overcoming cultural differences and prejudice GUN VIOLENCE Guns as protection and defense (Walt, Larry) Guns as flaunt and to show dominance (Gang members, Wallace, Carl) PAST INFLUENCES THE PRESENT Depicted how the past influences the present and future It clarifies why people are acting the way they do and what consequences their behavior had on them or their surroundings GRAN TORINO The movie has a straight storyline which plays in the present - the past still plays a big role because it influences the behavior of many characters and sometimes explains their doings (especially Walt's) The friendship of Walt and the Lor's breaks the once grumpy and racist Walt and starts a new perspective (plot twist: from Walt being stuck in the past and isolating himself to him opening to others and putting aside his burden and guilt/ sacrificing himself for a good future) CROOKED LETTER The plot of the novel jumps back and forth in which the past has a huge impact on Larry in the present Larry's farm makes the impression of a time capsule - he is still living in the past (wearing his old clothes, reading the same books, only having three TV-channels) Larry seems to be captured in the past and the prejudices the society evolved 25 years ago (mentally and physically stuck in the past) Silas on the other hand moved and started to develop himself in the society but still he is not able to confess his guilt and is haunted by it emotionally (physically in present, mentally stuck in the past) DIFFICULT FATHER-SON RELATIONSHIPS None of the characters of both movies have a healthy father-son relationship - some have a father that is abusive/ ignorant, some have none at all/ do not know them/ is not mentioned The only more or less healthy family relationships are the one with the mothers, although they are also not extensively and even failing (s. women as side characters) FEMALE CHARACTERS Female characters are just placed as side roles They should bridge and help the male main characters to reach their goals DIFFERENCES SETTING ENDING HAPPY VS. OPEN END GRAN TORINO Detroit vs. Mississippi THAO CROOKED LETTER Open end The novel has many ups and downs throughout the course and shows up many different issues and how the characters handled it SUE Happy end (not for everyone - Sue) The movie has a positive development in which you can clearly tell that the end is opening many doors for the main character Thao (conflict: Sues negative development - but as woman/ side character the focus is less on her) LARRY Regarding the key topic's racism, friendship and gun violence the movie definitely turned out positively and has a happy ending in which Walt's racism towards Hmong people is "sealed", a multicultural friendship was made, and the negative aspects of gun violence were outplayed Still Walt's death is very shattering and rather negative, but needed to fulfill the happy end ACHIEVED A SENSE OF BELONGING? WALT The end of CL opens a door for Larry to get to a better future/ position in life, not happy yet It ends with Larry being released from the burden of being a person of interest for 25 years Opportunity to have a happy ending Physiologically: yes because his character developed positively Physically: no because he is dead/ scarified himself Physically before his death: yes, he found a purpose and a chosen family/ friends Yes, because he has begun to actively shape his life and form an own identity and future, carries Walt's legacy Feels responsible to become the "new" Walt No, she had a few senses of belonging and many opportunities to bridge gaps between different communities but through the rape her once so happy and positive personality got shaped by trauma and insecurities Regarding Wallace: yes, because they are belonging to each other Regarding Silas/society: not yet, his burden of the past is now released so he has the opportunity to integrate to the society and form new bonds He makes baby steps to feel like he belonged again SILAS Regarding Angie: yes, because he opened up and told the truth - emotional development + trust towards her Regarding Larry: not yet, as the future is unknown, he always had someone or something to belong to - journey was not as eventful as Larry's