1972 Gran Torino (Symbol)
Walt's mint-condition 1972 Gran Torino is a symbol of masculine pride. The car, which Walt helped assemble as a Ford factory worker, is a classic American "muscle car," valued for its aesthetics and horsepower. Walt preserves the vintage car in perfect condition in his garage, maintaining it as a relic from a time when he, like other working-class Detroit residents, had pride in the US automotive industry and pride in himself as a laborer. As deindustrialization has changed Walt's milieu and the demographics of his neighborhood, Walt holds on to the culture he most identifies with, symbolically vested in his car.
Zippo Lighter (Symbol)
The Zippo-brand lighter Walt carries is adorned with the yellow and black emblem of the 1st Cavalry Division, one of the US Army's most decorated combat divisions. The lighter symbolizes Walt's complicated relationship with his military past. Although traumatized by having killed men in the Korean War, Walt's veteran status is nonetheless a point of pride and a fundamental component of Walt's identity. The lighter is also what Walt has used for decades to light the cigarettes that have greatly harmed his health, in a similar way to how his war trauma has impacted his ability to have healthy relationships with anyone but his wife. The lighter's symbolic power comes through most explicitly in the film's climactic scene when Walt reaches for it in his pocket, fooling the Hmong gangsters into believing he is withdrawing a gun. As Walt lays dead on the lawn, his lighter is shown in his open palm. In this way, the lighter that helped bring about his illness has also contributed directly to his death. However, he has died with honor, managing to protect innocents like Sue and Thao by sacrificing himself as a true hero would.
Walt's War Memorabilia Chest (Symbol)
The chest full of photos and medals that Walt keeps in his basement is a symbol of repressed trauma. While serving in the Korean War, Walt killed approximately thirteen men, deaths that he claims to think about every day. Rather than address his trauma, Walt represses his internal pain by drinking, smoking, and shunning social interaction to isolate. His shame around his time as a soldier is evident in the way his war memorabilia sit locked away in his basement, rather than being displayed proudly in a prominent place in his house. In this way, Walt's chest symbolizes both his attempt to hide his trauma and his inability to rid himself of the memories.
Finger Gun (Motif)
At several points throughout the film, Walt turns his finger into a gun and mimes shooting gang members. The repeated action unnerves the people he intimidates, who respond with confusion, incredulity, and hostility. Seeming at first like a quirk, the full significance of the motif is revealed when Walt uses the threatening gesture to trick the Hmong gangsters into believing he is going to shoot them. First pointing his finger, the thugs all draw their weapons. Once he is sure they are ready to shoot him, he pretends to withdraw a gun from his jacket, knowing they will fire first. However, he merely takes out his lighter, having fooled the thugs into shooting an unarmed man.
Crucifixion Pose (Symbol)
After having been shot several times by the Hmong gangsters, Walt falls back onto their lawn with his arms outstretched. The pose he lands in evokes the image of Jesus Christ nailed to the cross. With this symbolic crucifixion pose, Eastwood invites comparisons between Walt sacrificing his life to protect his neighbors to Jesus, said to be a messenger from God sent to save humanity.
