Use Of Narration

“Forrest Gump” is a drama with comical aspects. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1994. It is about a man facing the challenges in his life. The story spans from 1951-1984 (which the historical references prove), and takes place in different locations of America, and Vietnam.

The story is mostly narrated retrospectively, but in the end it is goes chronologically. It is told from a third-person view, but Forrest narrates the story and his thoughts are revealed. The movie starts out in a comical and happy tone, but goes on to be sad further into the movie. Most of the characters have an Alabama accent.

Forrest Gump isn’t the smartest person on earth. He is seen as slow when it comes to understanding academic things and figuring things out. He is a loving and kind person, who tries to protect those he cares about, especially Jenny, the main female character in the movie, who is a childhood friend. Forrest is quite fond of his mother, who had a big influence on him as a child, and shows this by recollecting what she used to say to him, throughout the movie.

Forrest’s life is in disarray. Forrest was physically handicapped as a kid, with his crooked back. Because of his disabilities he was bullied at school. Forrest’s main conflict is with Jenny, who was his only friend during his childhood. He is in a perpetual conflict throughout the movie, as he doesn’t know whether to be in love with Jenny or be her friend. Death is another aspect of life Forrest learns to cope with, as everybody he cares for dies, one after the other. First Bubba dies, then his mother, and in the end: Jenny. However, Forrest accepts death as a part of life, and therefore this does not become a conflict. His problem with Jenny is resolved in the end, when she accepts him and marries him.

The movie begins with Forrest Gump sitting at a bus stop, and a feather falling down to his feet. Forrest picks up the feather and puts it inside a book. Then he starts telling the story of his life to a woman sitting next to him. An interesting part of the movie is that throughout, the people listening to Forrest’s story keep changing. I have annotated the opening of this below:

Forrest tells us about his childhood, when he went to the doctor with his mother. Since he had a problem with straightening his back, he had to use special shoes to make it right. Forrest’s mother, Mrs. Gump, used to tell Forrest that he was no different than anybody else, but this was proved wrong when it was discovered that his IQ was 75, which was below normal.

The movie ends with Forrest’s son, Forrest Jr., boarding the school bus on the first day of school. The feather from Forrest’s book falls out and soars through the sky.

The key theme in “Forrest Gump” is life and not to give up on it; it is about managing the obstacles in your way. Forrest faces all these challenges, but he pulls himself through them. It is like the phrase his mother told him: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get”. Forrest handled things, as they came. Another theme is accepting yourself for who you are, and for what you do. The phrase: “Stupid is as stupid does” is important here. It means that you are as stupid as the things you do. Forrest Gump was not really stupid in this case. He was dumb, but he didn’t do stupid things.

The movie also deals a lot with death, so accepting death as a part of life is another message.

Some symbolism is already mentioned, but the feather in the beginning and the end of the movie is important. It symbolizes destiny and luck. Forrest came across Jenny many times, after she left him. It was plain luck or/and destiny. Forrest says it himself: “I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.”- Forrest Gump

The acting in the movie is incredible and very believable. You can really see that Forrest Gump is “special”. 

The camera angles varied: sometimes there are close-ups, other times you see the character(s) from slightly above, like in the opening.  

The lighting is a bit different for the different periods; Forrest’s childhood, with Jenny, was sunny and bright, while the Vietnam War was dark and cloudy. 

The editing was fast-paced at certain times, e.g. when Forrest’s squad was ambushed in Vietnam, but dwelling at other scenes, e.g. in the school bus, when Forrest was talking with Jenny.

The music played describes the scenes and time-periods in the movie, e.g. when Jenny is about to jump off the balcony ledge, “Free bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is played (also referring to the fact that she had wanted to become a bird when she was younger).