Forrest- a mentally disabled young man who learns to cope with his "stupidity" by overcoming adversity and eventually becoming a multi millionaire. Even though he's challenged daily through name calling, judgmental actions etc- He does have certain attributes that make him a kind human being and shows that he has a caring heart. His adventurous spirit allows the reader to travel through time and see world events that take place through his eyes- Vietnam, JFK assassination, playing for coach Bear Bryant (roll tide). Gump views the world as a place that treats itself without dignity and self respect, a place where people don't live in harmony and recognize the thought of peace being something necessary. He usually just goes with the flow of life yet lives it to his fullest, not knowing what he's going to get out of it or where it'll end up taking him. What motivates Forrest is his family- mostly his mom and Jenny for that matter. The impact they make on Forrest's life is shown throughout the novel because everything they do and every move they make forces him to do something or go somewhere in order for him to protect them. When they die, he's able to carry on their legacy through his acquired quality attributes and his ability to change the nation one area of the country at a time.
Jenny- When Jenny first meets Forrest, they instantly become best friends and do basically everything together and make every decision together. As she grows older, she becomes too focused on the norms of society. Forrest doesn't realize she's trying to be independent and live like as everyone else lives. Jenny often ignores Forrest's advice and takes the wrong path (drugs, strip clubs, eventually poverty). This may have been a result of the abuse she suffered from her father as a child. Forrest proposes to her and she rejects because she doesn't think she's "good enough for him". After she goes through life like a normal woman in the 60's and 70's, she figures out that maybe Forrest is actually the right man for her. Forrest accepts her and she turns her life around but soon passes away, allowing Forrest to continue to pass on his version of her legacy to everyone he meets.
Lieutenant Dan- Lieutenant Dan was Forrest's military sergeant in Vietnam. He was from a militaristic savvy family; a person from his family had died in every prior American war. At first, he treats Forrest with no respect and thinks of him as another dumb ass who joins the military for dignity and to make his family proud. Dan leads his crew into an ambush mission, where everything goes wrong and a majority of his soldiers die... also Lieutenant Dan is saved by Forrest after he is hit with an air raid. Dan learns he'll have to live the rest of his life as a double amputee and is immediately furious at Forrest for not letting him just die like the rest of his family members did. Well, it turns out that Dan had a lot of adventures left with Forrest. Dan eventually finds inner peace in co-owning a shrimping industry with Forrest and becoming a multi millionaire. He builds a strong faith and eventually realizes that none of his success would have happened if it wasn't for Forrest who saved him from his former selfish attitude.
Jenny- When Jenny first meets Forrest, they instantly become best friends and do basically everything together and make every decision together. As she grows older, she becomes too focused on the norms of society. Forrest doesn't realize she's trying to be independent and live like as everyone else lives. Jenny often ignores Forrest's advice and takes the wrong path (drugs, strip clubs, eventually poverty). This may have been a result of the abuse she suffered from her father as a child. Forrest proposes to her and she rejects because she doesn't think she's "good enough for him". After she goes through life like a normal woman in the 60's and 70's, she figures out that maybe Forrest is actually the right man for her. Forrest accepts her and she turns her life around but soon passes away, allowing Forrest to continue to pass on his version of her legacy to everyone he meets.
Lieutenant Dan- Lieutenant Dan was Forrest's military sergeant in Vietnam. He was from a militaristic savvy family; a person from his family had died in every prior American war. At first, he treats Forrest with no respect and thinks of him as another dumb ass who joins the military for dignity and to make his family proud. Dan leads his crew into an ambush mission, where everything goes wrong and a majority of his soldiers die... also Lieutenant Dan is saved by Forrest after he is hit with an air raid. Dan learns he'll have to live the rest of his life as a double amputee and is immediately furious at Forrest for not letting him just die like the rest of his family members did. Well, it turns out that Dan had a lot of adventures left with Forrest. Dan eventually finds inner peace in co-owning a shrimping industry with Forrest and becoming a multi millionaire. He builds a strong faith and eventually realizes that none of his success would have happened if it wasn't for Forrest who saved him from his former selfish attitude.
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Forrest as a Christ Figure-
Forrest has a major impact on characters throughout the novel. He changes their paths towards destruction and reestablishes their lives. They take on a whole new chapter of life after Forrest is able to forgive them for their past wrongdoings. In Lt. Dan's case, he was destined to die alongside the rest of his family did through a proud military tradition. Once Lt. Dan becomes crippled, he thinks he has been cursed by God and becomes atheist to an extreme condition. The curse turns into a blessing when Dan is questioning God in a Hurricane while he and Forrest are out shrimping. The hurricane was eerie and powerful, but God doesn't kill Lieutenant Dan because he wants him to open his eyes and heart up and see the opportunity that Forrest created for him as a result of the salvation he's received. Dan eventually thanks Forrest at the end of the novel and is enriched in salvation. Forrest also vastly impacts Jenny's life. Jenny had been sexually, physically, emotionally... basically abused in all forms as a child. She tries to free herself through the norms of society (drinking, sex, alcohol, etc). Jenny runs away from her destined life with Forrest and doesn't take the path God and Forrest intended her to go with at first. When she returns to Forrest she comes to realize that he was offering a better life and without him she is just another rat in the sewer. Forrest never changes the amount of love he has for her and never judges her. Even though she dies at the end of the novel in consequence of her deceitful actions in her life, she dies with peace at heart knowing Forrest saved her.
Forrest has a major impact on characters throughout the novel. He changes their paths towards destruction and reestablishes their lives. They take on a whole new chapter of life after Forrest is able to forgive them for their past wrongdoings. In Lt. Dan's case, he was destined to die alongside the rest of his family did through a proud military tradition. Once Lt. Dan becomes crippled, he thinks he has been cursed by God and becomes atheist to an extreme condition. The curse turns into a blessing when Dan is questioning God in a Hurricane while he and Forrest are out shrimping. The hurricane was eerie and powerful, but God doesn't kill Lieutenant Dan because he wants him to open his eyes and heart up and see the opportunity that Forrest created for him as a result of the salvation he's received. Dan eventually thanks Forrest at the end of the novel and is enriched in salvation. Forrest also vastly impacts Jenny's life. Jenny had been sexually, physically, emotionally... basically abused in all forms as a child. She tries to free herself through the norms of society (drinking, sex, alcohol, etc). Jenny runs away from her destined life with Forrest and doesn't take the path God and Forrest intended her to go with at first. When she returns to Forrest she comes to realize that he was offering a better life and without him she is just another rat in the sewer. Forrest never changes the amount of love he has for her and never judges her. Even though she dies at the end of the novel in consequence of her deceitful actions in her life, she dies with peace at heart knowing Forrest saved her.