The Iron Giant

In the quaint town of Rockwell, Maine, it's October 1957, a time of innocence and optimism, but also of fear and uncertainty. The Cold War is at its peak, and the threat of communism hangs over the nation like a dark cloud. Amidst this climate of tension, a mysterious giant metal machine crash-lands in the nearby woods, sending shockwaves of fear and awe through the small community. Nine-year-old Hogarth Hughes, a curious and adventurous boy, is the first to discover the giant, which he nicknames "The Iron Giant." Hogarth is fascinated by the machine, and as he explores it, he begins to see the world through its mechanical eyes, a world devoid of emotions, prejudice, and judging. As Hogarth and the Iron Giant, now a unlikely duo, start to form a bond, they attract the attention of two different individuals. One is Kent Mansley, an ambitious and opportunistic government official, who is determined to exploit the alien metal machine for the good of the nation, whatever that may mean. The other is Dean McCoppin, a paranoid and often-violent recluse, who is fixated on the idea of killing the Iron Giant and the people he sees as threats. In the beginning, Hogarth sees the Iron Giant as a way to prove himself and show his father, who's made sacrifices for the family, that he's responsible and mature enough to care for himself. This sentiment and the fear of rejection have a large influence on Hogarth's actions and decision-making throughout the story as the plot develops. As the story reaches a turning point Hogarth comes to understand the 'Iron Giant' is not a machine of destruction, and that he was being watched over, in ways that initially felt like judgment. Meanwhile, the Iron Giant is guided by a broadcast from the voice of a dead American astronaut named Colonel Shaun, on a dying spacecraft. As he continued on his task of examining Earthly life forms, the spacecraft radio broadcast reaches down the Iron Giant's line or satellite communications, which brings the emotions of what the man may have thought about while living his life. Hogarth and his mother become the key persons in helping the Iron Giant, the very person now fighting fears, prejudices and having other fears come to terms with this realization itself. Upon discovering that the presence or the 'existence' of the 'machine', doesn't ultimately want to kill them, or in other words, to carry out a mandate of 'destruction' or chaos let's say which would carry over the orders of an antagonistic alien force.