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Forrest Gump was born into the world different. He has an I.Q. of 75, below average, and wears
leg braces. Throughout his life there was always someone there to tell him that, but Forrest didn't
think so. When asked, "Is there something wrong with your legs", he replied, "My legs are just
fine and dandy, thank you." That is his attitude towards life, he is an optimist. Nothing seems to
get him down.
The movie opens with Forrest sitting on a bench narrating his life history to anyone who happens
to sit beside him and wait for the bus. When Forrest tells one of his oblivious victims that,
"Mother always said life is like a box a chocolates, you never know what your gonna get", he
summarized the whole theme of the movie. The theme is that fate deals you a certain deck of
cards, what path they lead you to is determined by luck. In the case of Forrest, his luck was good
and he received fame and fortune despite his disabilities. Forrest was born into the world as a
"local idiot" and floats through life like a feather, an image that opens and closes the movie. He
lands wherever the wind carries him. In the end he had accomplished everything that American
society honors. He becomes a sports hero, an obedient soldier, and a successful business man.
The movie "Forrest Gump" displays a wide variety of classifications. Some parts can be
considered a comedy, other parts a drama or even a tragedy. Some comical scenes are when
Forrest tells president Kennedy, "I think I got to go pee", or when Forrest's principal leaves after
receiving compensation from Mrs.Gump for his agreement to let Forrest attend school, Forrest
sounds out the moaning he heard inside. The movie also displays real-life situations. Forrest's
peers harrass him on the bus and chase and yell at him because he is different. Also, historic
events are shown throughout Forrest's life from the fifties into the early eighties. Tragedy is a
component of the movie, too. There are a lot of tragic heroes with their tragic flaws such as
Bubba Gump(Mykelti Williamson) who dies and Forrest's paraplegic war buddy Lt. Dan(Gary
Sinise) whose life he saved, although, he lost half of his body, but the grand tragic hero in this
movie is Forrest's object of affection, Jenny(Robin Wright). She sympathizes Forrest and notices
his good soul when others taunt him. She is different herself, the target of her father's sexual
abuse, and that probably contributes to her demeanor. Her tragic flaw is that she is trendy, always
going with the current fashion. She isn't dumb but she is a subservient who models others. She
doesn't stay with anything too long, she wanders. She is a stripper at one time in the movie, a
junkie, a radical war opponent for peace, a waitress, and a bunch of other things. In the end this
trendiness leads to her downfall.