Study-Themes and Narrative Structure

 Film: Forrest Gump 

Premise of the plot: 

This film follows a simple-minded but very kind Alabama man who inadvertently influences major American historical events over the course of three decades. The narrative follows him through his life from when he was a young boy who was bullied for wearing braces, a college football star, a Vietnam war hero, ping-pong champion, shrimping tycoon, to a cross-country runner. His eventful life takes many twists and turns, while his love for his childhood friend Jenny remains the same. 

Main themes: 

Forrest Gump features many different themes. 

Resiliency: The movie portrays how to rebuild one’s life through physical, social, spiritual, and mental strength through characters like Lt. Dan as Forrest helps him recover and find purpose in his life. 

Unconditional love/loyalty: Forrest’s unwavering love for his childhood friend Jenny, and his strong bond/friendship with Lt. Dan act as an emotional but strong anchor throughout the story. 

The American Dream/history: Forrest moves through, and often unintentionally influences pivotal moments such as the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and Watergate, showing that one’s success can come to anyone regardless of your background. 

Destiny vs. Personal influence: As Forrest experiences a multitude of events and achieves many different things, we witness him finding himself in these situations, and we observe what he does with what he has. Life gave him the materials, but his attitude determined his direction. So, we see the commentary of whether our lives are destined for something or whether we can control it. 

Narrative structure: 

Forrest Gump follows a linear, episodic narrative structure that follows him throughout his life in a series of flashbacks he has at a bus stop or the “present” which the film begins. Each era within the episodic structure represents a different chapter in his life. 

Conflict: 

The conflict type in this story is character vs. World, or an external conflict. Forrest Gump is shown as an innocent, simple man who navigates through a crazy and rapidly changing life. 

Characters: 

The main character, or protagonist in the film, is Forrest Gump. The film does not include one specific “antagonist” or “villain,” rather, the obstacles of life and societal hurdles are what gets in Forrest’s way. Occasionally characters might be framed as people who get in the way of Forrest’s happiness, but never one prominent bad guy. There is a love interest, Jenny, and there are friends or allies along the way, such as Lt. Dan. Some characters were there simply for the historical effect, as many were representative of important historical events that are not necessarily important to Forrest’s life but are people he interacts with.