Forrest Gump Analysis

If you’ve never seen the film ‘Forrest Gump,' you need to clear a couple hours and experience it! This film won six Oscars, sort of hard to say you would be wasting your time. Most people enjoy the memorable catch phrases and the flash from the past journey it takes through the twentieth century. However, a principal character “Jenny," whom Forrest falls deeply in love with upon first sight, may become your least favorite character. The movie ‘Forrest Gump’ can leave the audience with mixed emotions indeed! You just need to watch the movie once and you already have picked up a catchy phrase. If you watch the movie a few more times, you'll become a pro and end up saying each line on cue. Most popular catchphrase has to be “Run Forest, Run!”
From teaching Elvis his latest dance move, to scoring touchdowns for Bear Bryant at Alabama, Forrest Gump jets all over the 20th-century! Our friend Forrest, whom Tom Hanks plays, got the opportunity to meet three different presidents for various admirable reasons. After becoming an All American football player at the University of Alabama, Forrest met President Kennedy. For a heroic act whilst in the heat of combat in the Vietnam War, Gump met President Johnson and received the Medal of Honor. Being wounded in the “buttocks” in Vietnam, Gump picked up the sport of ping pong while recovering in the hospital. Forrest was good enough to get on the U.S. ping pong team, which lead him to meet President Nixon. Prior to meeting President Nixon, Gump was unknowingly responsible for tipping off authorities to discover the Water Gate scandal. Forrest was invited to the ‘Captain Kangaroo’ television show where he sat with John Lennon and discussed the war. If at all familiar with John Lennon's work you're quickly clued in to the fact that Lennon's responses to Gump's statements are quotes from his song “Imagine”. Also, in the first few minutes of this film Forrest explains how he is named after the great Civil War hero General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who he claims started the Ku Klux Klan. Forrest obviously is unclear on what the KKK is all about because he talks about them dressing up in bedsheets and
In the beginning of the film, Jenny is the angel of a little girl who gave Forrest a place to sit on the bus to school. They grew together, learned together and were the best of friends till high school. As young adults however, their lives took very different paths. Forrest went to college, and joined the Military which sent him straight to Vietnam. Jenny became a flower child and began a drug filled fast and loose lifestyle. Through it all, Forrest loved Jenny with his whole heart. Jenny's name was spoken by Forrest often. On several separate occasions in the movie, Forrest witnessed Jenny being harassed by men. It never took more than one split thought and Forrest would be handling the situation with his brawn, defending Jenny. Not once did Jenny seem appreciative of Forrest's bravery on these occasions. It wasn't until Jenny had hit rock bottom and was contemplating suicide that she came crawling back to Forrest who was a millionaire by this time for owning ‘Bubba Gump Shrimp CO'. Without a single question, Forrest took her back. Finally happy, living the life he so desperately wanted Forrest and Jenny made love. The very next morning, Jenny caught a cab away from Forrest without as much as a note! Gump, heartbroken, began his multi cross country run for “no particular reason”. Years since the morning she left Forrest, Jenny sees him on the news for his running while she is