Analysis of Forrest Gump

Analysis of Forrest Gump
Denise M. Augenstein
07/30/10

This movie is a depiction of a man’s life from childhood through and adulthood. Spanning the 50’s through the 80’s it is about the challenges this person confronts having a low IQ. Forrest Gump was raised in Greenbow Alabama, as a child his mother instilled in him that he was no different than anyone else and should not think of himself that way. It seems to be one of the reasons that Forrest grows up with a very strong personality. As Forrest grows he meets a little girl named Jenny and is immediately taken with her because she talked to him as if he were a normal child.

In the movie it is stated that Forrest has a tested IQ of 75 which makes learning and some tasks difficult. Forrest has a set of braces on his legs to help straighten his back, and endures ridicule from children and adults because of them. There is a scene in the movie where Forrest shows Elvis Pressley how to do his famous hip shake. It is one of many where Forrest, without knowing, has an influence on famous person or situation. Another scene in the movie where Forrest is being chased by bullies on bicycles, Forrest breaks free of his braces, and runs away from them. All of the running Forrest does in this film is presented as a way for Forrest to get away from the things that are troubling him. After his braces fall off Forrest runs everywhere, it seems to be something that he loves and that he is good at. It seems to be what he does when times are rough for him or life has thrown him a tough curve.

As he approaches the end of his high school career, by sheer accident Forrest’s running pays off. He was running from some bullies (again) and managed to run onto a football field. Well there was a college football scout there that was impressed by his speed and Forrest gets a full scholarship to college. Again Forrest manages to find himself in a historic situation. Blacks are being allowed into the college and there are protests against this. When a black woman drops her book on the way into her class Forrest picks it up and hands it back. Wouldn’t you know it he landed on the TV news? Forrest does not understand what the big deal about this is because he was taught that everyone was the same regardless of what they look like. It was comic that one of his classmates said they were allowing “coons” in the school and he immediately told that student what his momma does when raccoons come onto their back porch. Forrest ran through 5 years of college and managed to obtain a degree! This after a grade school counselor told his mother that he wouldn’t be able to attend normal schooling due to his IQ. Through college Forrest still has a connection with Jenny. He begins to take a role of protector as far as Jenny is concerned, and physically beats up any man that attempts to hurt her. As far as his mother is concerned she isn’t shown as having much of a role in Forrest’s life during college.

At college graduation Forrest is approached by the US Army and subsequently enlists. This is where the movie relates to the Vietnam War and the lives of the soldiers. Forrest goes through basic training and meets his best friend Bubba. Bubba’s dream is to own and operate a shrimp boat. In all of the basic training scenes Bubba tells Forrest about shrimping and how many different ways you can prepare and eat shrimp. After basic training Forrest finds Jenny singing in an adult theatre, once again when she is grabbed by a male member of the audience, Forrest intervenes. He hasn’t see Jenny since he enlisted in the army and she is angry that he keeps trying to defend her. Jenny then gets ready to leave, and when he tells her he is being sent to Vietnam Jenny tells him not to be brave and just run if there is trouble. Forrest and Bubba are then deployed to Vietnam where they meet Lieutenant Dan. From here the movie depicts well what life was like for the soldiers, from what happened to their daily patrols to how they slept at night. It depicts their personal relationships with each other and even shows some of the equipment they used. During this period in the movie it is shown how Bubba and Forrest become closer friends. Later in the film Bubba is killed in an ambush, during this scene in the movie Forrest is shown saving most of his platoon just by running. Also in this scene Forrest saves Lieutenant Dan from dying on the battlefield. Earlier in this part of the movie Forrest points out that someone in Lt. Dan’s family has died in every war since the civil war. Lt. Dan is angry with Forrest at this point for robbing him of his fate. This part of the film really brings home what the soldiers had to deal with in a war time situation. It shows their emotions and interactions with each other while on patrol and during the high stress situation of being attacked.

After the war Forrest then is awarded a medal of honor, while in Washington DC he again finds Jenny. At this time in America there are protests and rallies happening against the war in Vietnam. After his ceremony he goes out site seeing and is mistakenly taken into a group of protestors going to an even to speak out against the war. Forrest is then whisked on to the stage where he makes a speech and then the power to his mic is turned off. He doesn’t realize it and keeps speaking at the end of his speech he says his name and out of the crowd runs Jenny.

This movie was a very great depiction of the events that were happening at that time. It is funny how Forrest seems to find his way into many famous events, and meets many famous people. Through most of this story Forrest is shown to be a strong man, and a lot smarter than he was depicted in the start of the film. I found it powerful that he is able to take tragic events and either run them off or talk about them and then stop. It’s like for him just the act of talking about it is enough to help him get through the hard times.