Gran Torino (2008) is a drama that revolves around an old, recently widowed Korean war veteran that appears disillusioned from the modern world and is alienated from his family and seemingly bitter towards everyone. By an at-first shaky relationship with his Hmong neighbors, Walt develops a connection with them and goes through a revelation of sorts about his life and eventually makes the ultimate sacrifice for a young Hmong boy.
Sixteen Candles, on the other hand, is a coming of age story of a young teenage girl, Sam, and her journey through high school. Sam is seen as very insecure and unsatisfied with her love life but eventually is able to attract the boy of her dreams, as we see them embrace, in the now romantic comedy cliche. Although seemingly polar opposites, these two movies both offer interesting depictions of Asian Americans and in particular Asian American males. Gran Torino has a flux of Asian American characters, while Sixteen Candles only has one Asian American character, Long Duk Dong.
Both movies demonstrate a sense of white masculinity and in effect deems the Asian ethnicity as a weaker/less suitable counterpart. Despite both of the movie’s motivations, the Hmong people and Long Duk Dong are both portrayed in the stereotypical representation of Asian Americans. Gran Torino, as mentioned above, focuses on an old war veteran who displays his misanthropy to the world and his family shortly after his wife’s death. His own family is shown as jaded and superficial and Walt seems to have no desire to have a healthy relationship with them.
The Term Paper on Portrayal Of Asian Americans
Abstract My research focused on the coverage of Asian Americans in contemporary mass media. The following types of media were researched: . Music. Television.Films. Magazines gave several examples where Asian Americans were used to play very simple characters. These roles were defined by stereotypes that exist in America. I also researched instances on counter actions taken by Asian Americans to ...
Walt is displayed as the archetype of white masculinity compared to the weaker representations displayed by Walt’s two sons and the young, naive priest. We see Walt, drinking beers on his porch, annoyed by the changing racial landscape of his own neighborhood. There are hints of the town being a previous auto industry hotbed, but now seems to have lost its former glory. The change of the town seems to mirror Walt’s change as well, former glorified war veteran into a bitter old man.
With the changing racial landscape of the neighborhood, Walt seems like the minority, but in the lone white patriarchal type of way. His “superiority” is displayed in a number of ways, such as how his house and lawn are meticulous in comparison to his Hmong neighbors. The Hmong houses are shown as neglected and, in general, a mess compared to the neat, well-kept house of Walt. As we move into the crux of the story, the Hmong neighbors come to the forefront, particularly Thao and his sister Sue.
Although at first it may seem like a move in a positive direction to have Asian characters as main characters, their depictions quickly make you think otherwise. Both Thao and Sue are seen as weak and unable to take care of themselves without Walt. Walt, in two particular instances, comes in and “saves” Thao and Sue from groups of threatening thugs. This is a common theme in the movie, as Walt is depicted as the savior until the very end. Thao, initially chastised by Walt, falls under his wing after attempting to steal his car for initiation into a Hmong gang.
Thao seems to be a common Asian American male stereotype: quiet, weak and the complete opposite of the alpha-male type that Clint Eastwood portrays. This is evident in how Walt seemingly has so much to teach him, from things like work ethic to simply how to talk to other men. Thao is the effeminate “model minority” Asian American that we see is so common in U. S. media. He is presented as “The Yellow Peril”, “in the United States, Asia and America-East and West-are viewed as mutually exclusive binaries. Within this exclusive binary system, Asian Americans, even as citizens, are designated Asians, not Americans.
The Essay on Disneys Influence On American Culture
Disneys Influence on American Culture How does one begin to describe a king? As generations change, society calls for new leaders and kings, that will continue to push the boundaries. Steven Watts describes it as: Hollywoods leading fantasy factory (187) Disney is much more prominent in society, its impact now lives in every household, as well as a place in everyones soul. Behind it all is a ...
Characterizing Asian American as “permanent house-guests in the house of America, Asian Americans are put in the niche of the unassimilable alien. ” (Espiritu Y. , pg 100, 1997) Even though Thao and his family seems to have been in America for some time, the movie and Walt presents them as foreigners that have yet to assimilate to culture here and in turn are in desperate need of Walt’s guidance to survive. Despite the large Hmong cast, there is a peculiar absence of any Hmong characters who are not shown as weak or an evil criminal. Walt is the only visible male character that seems to have
