Forest Gump
The Concept of a Hero/ Context
• The hero in this article is forest Gump a
grown man with a child’s IQ who is a
very kind and loving male figure.
• The context status of the time was similar
to gold finger it’s based in the 1960-70’s
it displays the fight between the
communist Vietcong of Vietnam and the
democratic United States.
• Differences such as the personality and
the disabilities of forest Gump are
displayed from a modern era point of
view the hero is shown to be as a
disabled man who lives a glamorous and
action packed life.
• Forest is also shown to be as a war hero
for his brave actions he was awarded a
medal while fighting the communists.
• Gump is portrayed as a gentle kind man
who is charming has an IQ of a child yet
he is honest loving posses impressive
skills such as international ping pong
player, high gun reloading skills and very
fast running skills.
• Forest Gump does apply a bias view of
women it displays women less superior
and successful than men “it appears as
though he is better off in comparison:
Gump's choices in life seem to determine
his niceness (he goes to Vietnam, keeps
his promises, harbors no ill-feelings or
grudges, and is not greedy with fame or
money) and successes. Contrast this to
the choices his lifetime girl friend Jenny
makes: she wants to be famous and rich,
but ends up being a druggie. The people
she is surrounded by are all of a dubious
nature: a sexually-abusive father, a show
audience more interested in her naked
body than her folk-music playing, and an
abusive hippie-boyfriend.”
Textual Features
• The use of first person narrative in the
article”I” expresses the views of the
writer towards the plot line of the
movie Forest Gump.
• The use of Formal and informal
language in the article expresses the
idea of the variety of readers who
read this article which helps attracts
the reader’s attention to the article.
Words such as “Propensity,
immensely, endears” are used to
express the extent of attraction to a
situation for example “immensely”
was used to demonstrate the extent of
love that his mother has for him.
Informal words such as “Druggie,
crazy, stupid” are used to bring the
reality of a situation.
• The use of listing is used to contrast
the effect as a hero and the
personality/features of a hero forest
has compared to famous actors and
role models of his time has “Gump
rubs elbows with many famous
personalities over the last half of the
century including Elvis Presley and
Nixon,“.
• Listing is used again to display
famous quotes that the hero in the
movie uses throughout the movie
"Life is like a box of chocolates; you
never know what you're going to get."
•
 • The Social context of the 90’s displays
how perspectives of people changed
overtime of what they see as hero which
demonstrates understanding and
acceptance of a disabled/closed minded
person as their hero in a movie of the
1960-70. This article also assists in
implying the idea that hero’s are not
categorized in the upper social classes
that live the life of the rich and famous it
displays that hero’s can be ordinary
people.” a mother who loves him
immensely and who sleeps with the
school principal in order to make
sure her child has the best
education” which would’ve of
been seen in a different point of
view in the 1960’s compared to
the 1960’s which is viewed as a
mother showing the extent of
love she has for her child in
order for him to grow up and
have a successful life.

Robert Zemeckis (of Back to the Future fame) has collected another feather for his cap with his
direction of this movie starring Tom Hanks as this childishly naive idiot savant. Though that
description of Forrest Gump might be inadequate.

Gump, gifted with a low IQ which lets him be adorably childlike even as he grows up, leads a
very charmed life: a mother who loves him immensely and who sleeps with the school principal
in order to make sure her child has the best education, a miraculous incident that eliminates the
need for him to have braces for his legs, a childhood girlfriend who remains faithful to him till
the end, surviving Vietnam with a medal, and, in general, a propensity for turning everything that
happens to him into good.

I wonder what the movie is trying to say. From one perspective, it implies that intelligence (as
measured by IQs and the general idea of what "smart" is) is a very unnecessary trait. But I think
one can look beyond that and say that childlike innocence, which can be considered stupid, has
its rewards. Throughout the movie, Gump is in situations where he is harassed by other people
but he never takes offense (except, of course, when his girl Jenny is being abused) at any of the
insults thrown at him. He is indeed not completely stupid, even though he is portrayed as such,
since he can re-assemble guns at high speed, run like crazy, play ping-pong like a maniac, and so
on.

The fact that Gump doesn't take offense, I think, is what keeps him content. He becomes a
millionaire, but gives most of the money away. He is honest and open and this, along with his
Alabama accent, endears him to the audience. But this gets tiresome after a while (especially
after 2 hours). I thought the movie was overly long, but that's the only negative thing I have to
say.

Gump rubs elbows with many famous personalities over the last half of the century including
Elvis Presley and Nixon, thanks to computer technology (General Dan doesn't really lose his legs
either---they are just erased and the background is then touched up by using computer graphics
programs). The account of how Gump is responsible for the gyrations that is so characteristic of
Presley is very telling of the motives of this movie. Gump is contrasted to the famous males, who
are idols (in some cases) in today's society, and it appears as though he is better off in
comparison: Gump's choices in life seem to determine his niceness (he goes to Vietnam, keeps
his promises ("a promise is a promise"), harbors no ill-feelings or grudges, and is not greedy with
fame or money) and successes. Contrast this to the choices his lifetime girl friend Jenny makes:
she wants to be famous and rich, but ends up being a druggie. The people she is surrounded by
are all of a dubious nature: a sexually-abusive father, a show audience more interested in her
naked body than her folk-music playing, and an abusive hippie-boyfriend.

The traditional male heroes that we have had are all dysfunctional in some respect or another and
we are lost without heroes, as Bloom points out. Gump is a new kind of a role-model; he's A
Nice Boy and everyone knows they're hard to find. As one reviewer said: "Today the last
American hero is a Tom Hanks character with a small IQ".

Forrest Gump is the runaway hit movie of this summer. Many people claim it gets them in touch
with their "inner child". Some reviewers attack it for the view that low IQ is a necessity for
maintaining the child-like attitude Gump has. Gump never grows up or matures in the movie. He
never becomes a man and remains a boy throughout. It is implied, at least, that his "stupidity" is
what allows him to do this. This may or may not be true, but it is just a movie in the end. Most
people in his position would not be so fortunate as he. And what about the converse: if you are
intelligent, does this mean you cannot be child-like forever? That's not true, and I think Zemeckis
did a good job in showing that anyone can retain their inner child as long they never grow up or
become mature.

There's room for much analysis here, but the plot isn't new. Peter Sellers did this a long time ago.
 "I'm tired now. I think I'm going home." --Forrest Gump

"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get." --Forrest Gump

"Stupid is as stupid does." --Forrest Gump

"I guess sometimes there just aren't enough rocks." --Forrest Gump