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Laura Scott

Professor Granillo

English 103

26 January 2019

A Much-Needed Hero

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite

of overwhelming obstacles,” Christopher Reeve. A victim, a villain, and a hero are the common

stereotypes that people with disabilities are often portrayed as in the movie industry. With these

stereotypes however, positive messages and lessons may come from it. A great example of a

movie portraying someone with disabilities as a hero would be Forrest Gump. In the movie

Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump is portrayed as the hero for joining the army despite his disabilities,

which also simultaneously addresses the repressive ideology of the American Dream; therefore,

the movie spreads the message that those with disabilities can accomplish their goals if they

work hard and refuse to be held down by the stereotypes that society has created, yet, that is a

generalization. Thus, undermining the true struggles of people with disabilities living in an

ableist society.

This movie made a big impact on those watching. It starts off with Forrest Gump having

difficulties walking because of his crooked spine; therefore, requiring leg braces. Not only did he

have a curved spine, but he also had a low IQ, which made it difficult for him to be accepted into

a regular school. His mom, however, was determined to give him the same opportunities that

Gump’s peers had experienced. Gump was giving a chance in school and his first day is when he

meets Jenny, his love interest and best friend throughout the movie. Jenny was the epitome of

“love and acceptance.” The movie continues to follow his life and his success in football, the
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military, Ping-Pong, and the shrimping business. Forrest Gump had made an impact on those

who have disabilities because he spreads the message that determination and perseverance can

accomplish goals despite what those around them are thinking.

Forrest Gump goes through the recent events of history such as Elvis Presley, The Hippie

Movement, and the Watergate Scandal to name a few, in comedic commentary. This is supposed

to evoke a happy emotion and interest when watching the movie. However, if paid close

attention to, the deeper feelings from this movie that should be perceived would be anger or

sadness, perhaps empathy. Forrest Gump uses the Greek Triangle, mainly pathos, to push these

emotions through subtle hints of derogatory terms towards Forrest Gump. For example, as a teen,

even though Jenny stepped in and created a light-hearted moment by defending him, these

teenagers were throwing rocks at him and calling him dumb, which is an insulting word, and

chased him (Forrest Gump 00:15:30-00:16:46). Though, after watching this scene, he was able

to showcase his running skills which landed him a spot on a football team and a spot in college.

“When I would run, I never thought it would take me anywhere,” Gump had said after this

scene” (Forrest Gump 00:20:50-00:20:55). Therefore, encouraging those who may be going

through the same thing as Gump, to never give up or listen to those who bring you down.

One of the characters who had impacted Forrest Gump’s life greatly was his childhood

friend, Jenny. She had taught him how to climb, read, and encouraged him to run from those who

treated him horribly, which benefitted him in the War of Vietnam. Through this, we can see that

despite his differences, Gump should still be treated as any other human being. Jenny shows the

audience that it’s not harmful to one’s ego to be accepting. This is considered the “Critical

Disability Theory,” which states that it “is a framework for the analysis of disability which

centers disability and challenges the ableist assumptions which shape society,” (Hosking).
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Essentially, it combats the social construct that a disability defines the person, whereas, it is the

individual that give their disability power. Just like many words, they only mean something if

that individual gives it the power.

With the derogatory words that are said to Forrest Gump, he doesn’t give them the power

that people hope they would. He had a good friend in the army, Bubba, who also had a disability,

but when he died in the war, Gump promised that he would give a share of the makings from the

fishing company. When he had gone to give Bubba’s mother the money, she asked him “are you

crazy or just plain stupid,” in which he replied, “stupid is as stupid does,” (00:01:27:03-

01:27:08). “Stupid is as stupid does,” is the saying that Forrest’s mom taught him to reassure him

that the word has no correlation with his actual intelligence, but the actions that may he might

do. Therefore, calling someone stupid cannot be judged by their intelligence, but the actions that

they commit. Calling someone who has disabilities, stupid, is demeaning and can belittle their

existence.

The repressive ideology of the America Dream prevents many individuals with

disabilities the chance at equal opportunity as someone who is considered “normal.” Repressive

ideologies “keep us from understanding the material/historical conditions in which we live

because they refuse to acknowledge that those conditions have any bearing on the way we see

the world,” (Tyson 54). With the repressive ideologies and applying it to disabilities, society fails

to realize the difference between those who have disabilities and those that don’t, catering to the

more “abled body.” The world is filled with restrictions and limitations to people with

disabilities. The American Dream is, “the set of ideals (democracy, rights, liberty, opportunity

and equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success,” and “all

men are created equal,” (Wikipedia). Hence, that everyone will be the same and be treated as
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such. However, over the course of centuries, its clear that not everyone has the same opportunity

to achieve the same rank in social class and the same opportunities in education or the job force.

In Forrest Gump, Gump is given the opportunity to go to school with those who are “normal”

and get into a college on a football scholarship. Though, today, people with disabilities don’t

receive this equal opportunity.

The government has implemented laws for schools that protect people with disabilities.

The, “Education Disabilities Act of 1975 allowed for disabled students to attend school with

special education services,” (An Ableist Society). This allowed students with disabilities attend

schools with either a special needs program or with an assisting aid, along with an Individualized

Educational Plan (I.E.P.) An I.E.P is a plan that a student with disabilities can follow to give

them a higher chance of success. While society has made strides towards acceptance within

schools, however Americans still enable an ableist society.

Ableism can present itself in minor ways that many don’t think of daily. It is prominent

in society and through the film Forrest Gump as well. Ableism is “discrimination and prejudice

towards people with disabilities,” (Wikipedia). For example, derogatory words such as retarded,

stupid, and crippled are ableism words. This is seen many times in Forrest Gump. Not only

through the demeaning acts that others have done towards Gump, but his lieutenant, Lieutenant

Dan, had lost his legs in the War of Vietnam and was bitter because he was now a “cripple.” He

believed that he couldn’t do anything with his life anymore because he had lost his legs. He had

asked, “what am I going to do now” and Gump replied with, “you still are Lieutenant Dan”

(Forrest Gump 01:01:20-01:01:24). Lieutenant Dan then goes on to join Forrest Gump on his

journey as a shrimp fisherman, showing that even without his legs, he is still capable of hitting

riches.
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Ableism is also seen in areas that don’t offer wheelchair access or animals, regardless if

they are service animals. One large ableism act towards people with Down Syndrome in

particular, is that there are tests that can be run to determine whether the child has down

syndrome, then given the choice to terminate the pregnancy. This sends the message to younger

generations that people with disabilities are lesser than those who don’t have this disability. A

powerful speech was given by Frank Stephens, who has down syndrome, and addressed that

people with this should have a negative connotation. “…pushing this particular, ‘final solution,’

are saying that people like me should not exist. That view is deeply prejudice by an outdated idea

of life with down syndrome” (Stephens 00:01:55-00:02:22). Stephens then goes on about how

great of a life he has had with amazing opportunities. He made three points, “first, we are a

medical gift to society…we are an unusually powerful source of happiness…finally, we are the

canary in the eugenics coal mine. We are giving the world a chance to think about the ethics of

choosing which humans get a chance at life” (Stephens 00:03:36-00:04:49). People shouldn’t

have to feel inferior when faced having disabilities, this is exactly what Forrest Gump challenges

in the movie. Through many accomplishments, he has sent the message that what a person has

does not determine their self-worth.

There are common stigmas that society has created regarding those with disabilities. A

stigma is “the result of false ideas that people have when the describe someone they see as

stupid,” (Disability Rights California). The negative connotations that come from disability has

shaped society’s view and essentially paved a path for those who experience this. Through this,

people with disabilities are “villains.” Though, Forrest Gump is nothing but the hero through the

movie, encouraging those around him, there’s that stigma that people are evil. This is commonly

used in movies as well. According to “Common Portrayals or Persons with disabilities” state that
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those with mental illnesses are often “crazy” and more likely to harm a person. Though, this is

not always true. It is seen in social media today many stories of people with disabilities landing

as the victims. The are commonly abused by those around them. “They are four to ten times

more likely to be abused than their peers without disabilities,” (disibilityjustice.org). People with

disabilities either aren’t aware of their surroundings, therefore susceptible to abuse. Or, they are

aware but unable to fight back. This is commonly made fun of in the media as well. The victim

stereotype may also be used for comedy, using characters’ disabilities. In Forrest Gump, it is

expected to feel bad for Gump because of his intellectual disadvantages but disproves that by

being the hero.

In the movie Forrest Gump, Gump is seen as the victim due to the bullying because of his

intellectual disability and his curved spine. However, he quickly became the hero by

accomplishing milestones that defined him. He was able to join a sports team and get a full ride

to college, served in the Vietnam war and was awarded as war-hero, and he became an

international Ping Pong player. He had donated his riches to his friends and family to help

support them. He is nothing less than a hero. The movie plays off pathos, which has evoked both

happiness and sadness throughout the movie in scenes of him running when he was told her

couldn’t, to his mother dying. Forrest Gump combats the repressive ideology of the American

dream by addressing the ableism that society expresses today through demeaning words. This

movie has an impact on those who are watching, both with disabilities and without, because he is

a representation that many people need. Through this movie, Gump exploits perseverance,

uncontrollable love and acceptance, that has helped guide him to his end goals. Thus, formed a

message that those who experience challenges could overcome them, therefore being the hero of
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the story. Forest Gump can be an example that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to

those with disabilities, debunking the typical stereotypes that constrict them.
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Work Cited

Hosking, David. “The Theory of Critical Disability Theory.” Robert Simmons | Lancaster

University, 2008,

www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/events/disabilityconference_archive/2008/abstracts/hosking.htm.

Stephens, Frank, director. YouTube. YouTube, YouTube, 27 Oct. 2017,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJEoRhkapw.

Tyson, Lois. “Marxist Criticism.” Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. Third ed.,

Routledge, 2015, pp. 54.

Zemeckis, Robert, director. Forrest Gump. Paramount Pictures, 1994.

“Ableism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ableism.

“Ableism/Language.” Autistic Hoya, 2018, www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-

to-avoid.html.

“Abuse and Exploitation of People with Developmental Disabilities.” Disability Justice, 2019,

disabilityjustice.org/justice-denied/abuse-and-exploitation/.

“American Dream.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Jan. 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream.

“MediaSmarts.” Marketing & Consumerism - Special Issues for Young Children,

mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/persons-disabilities/common-portrayals-persons-

disabilities.