Kindness In Forrest Gump

504 Words2 Pages

Kindness in Times of Tragedy Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is the tale of a slow-witted man that finds himself entangled in some of the twentieth century’s largest moments, and in the process finds happiness in life. The obvious message that the movie sends out is brought up several times within the film, that fate works in mysteries ways. Its up to the audience member to decide whether or not that it is a random sequence of events or a destined path that one must travel. Though it is the over arching theme of the movie, many more minute, but equally important themes are woven into this timeless story. Not focusing on the historical events of the movie but rather the characters themselves one finds such a theme. It delivers …show more content…

Jenny is perhaps the best example for this theme of caring for people regardless of their past or their choices. The film paints Jenny as the embodiment of counter culture of America during the mid twentieth century. Though Forrest is not directly exposed to this information, the viewer sees Jenny go through abuse, drug use, mental health issues including suicidal tendencies, and what is assumed to be prostitution. These activities are looked down upon by society, those who partake in such actions are often seen as lost causes and not worth showing love to. Even though Jenny had done some things that the world condemns as deplorable, Forrest loves her the same way as the first time he laid eyes on her. These things do not matter to him; he comforts and gets her back on her feet even though she has broken his heart a countless amount of times. Forrest still sees the good in her, he becomes the films way of personifying true kindness. Even when she contracts AIDS, he was by her side until her dying breath. When the movie was released AIDS was still a rather hot button issue that people were deathly afraid of because no one quite understood what it was, leading to awful stigmas. This leads one to see that the film is demonstrating that regardless of things that happen in a person’s past, one must always find compassion and love because more

Show More
Related

  • How Does Scout Show Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings with others. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many characters who showed the quality of empathy. A few examples who undoubtedly showed empathy were the main characters Jem, Atticus, and the narrator Scout Finch. These characters learned and demonstrated compassion throughout the book.

    Read More

  • Things They Carried in The Great Train Robbery and The Things They Carried

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    Forrest Gump. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Screenplay by Eric Roth. Perf. Tom Hanks and Mykelti Williamson. Paramount, 1994. Film.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: A Story of Empathy

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have American’s lost the ability to show empathy? Although a novice reader may struggle to see how a book written over 50 years ago bears any connection to our modern world, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird could not be any more relevant. The citizens of fictional Maycomb County acknowledge their flawed legal system and unfair social castes as unfortunate truths of life, of which all you can do is accept it as fact. The sole exception is lawyer Atticus Finch, who is in charge of defending the accused in court. After seeing all too many men receive a sentence simply because of the color of their skin, Atticus embarks on a quest to teach Jem and Scout, his children, that prejudice can be fought. By understanding and exposing ourselves to different people, we can free ourselves from prejudice.

    Read More

  • Compassion and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you not believe we need more compassion and tolerance in the world? Why can we not be like Atticus, Jem or Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee? These characters show great compassion and tolerance throughout the novel despite the society they live in. They have the courage to stand up for what they believe in.

    Read More

  • The Social Imagination of Forrest Gump

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    What is sociological imagination? Our textbook describes sociological imagination as the ability to see our private experiences, personal difficulties, and achievements as, in part, a reflection of the structural arrangements of society and the times in which we live. The movie entitled Forrest Gump is a great example of sociological imagination. In this paper, I will cite examples from the movie and tell how they correlate with sociological imagination. Sociological imagination allows us examine the events of our lives and see how they intersect with the wider context of history and tradition of the society in which we live. (Hughes/Kroehler, The Core, p. 7)

    Read More

  • Theories Of Prosocial Behavior In The Movie 'Solomon Northup'

    1472 Words  | 3 Pages

    It revolves around a man named Solomon Northup, an African American who was kidnapped and forced into slavery for 12 whole years. He was a free man living with his wife and children in Saratoga, New York until he was tricked and kidnapped by two men who went by the names of Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton in 1841. Solomon believed the two men came with good intentions and accepts the offer to travel to Washington DC where slavery was legal. Little did he know that Brown and Hamilton were tricksters with wicked minds. He wakes up the next morning just to find himself in shackles. After this Solomon Northup is transported by various slave traders, sold and treated like livestock. He is forced to work on plantations in the Deep South

    Read More

  • Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miss Hazel has a renewed purpose of loving others, even though her ways might be more controversial than others ways. It says in the story she says, “you got to take care of the old folks.”(Bambara, 98) The McNair Scholars Journal, a periodical, it says “Love and attraction appear to be universal emotions.” (Braxton-Davis, 12) It is likely Miss Hazel’s character was trying to speak the “universal language” and not trying to be controversial at all. She was an example of being a women by

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird Compassion Analysis

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, once said “frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action” (values.com). When one thinks of compassion, sympathy and sorrow come to mind. However, compassion also is accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. This can be accomplished by standing up for what one believes is right. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee deeply develops her theme that compassion is understanding someone else’s perspective and using this compassion to stand up against society.

    Read More

  • The Nonexistence of Kindness: George Price

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    People perpetrate seemingly selfless acts almost daily. You see it all over the news; the man who saved that woman from a burning building, the mother who sacrificed herself to protect her children from the bomb blast. But how benevolent are these actions? Are these so-called “heroes” really sacrificing themselves to help others? Until recently, it was the common belief that altruism, or selfless and unconditional kindness, was limited primarily to the human race. However, within the last century, the works of several scientists, most prominently George Price, have provided substantial evidence concluding that altruism is nothing more than a survival technique, one that can be calculated with a simple equation.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy Quotes

    830 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Maturity is when your world opens up and you realize that you are not the center of it.” –M.J. Croan. Maturity comes in steps, where we are always progressing and learning further about ourselves and how others perceive us. Scout gradually becomes more mature throughout the novel, leaving behind her innocence while also reconstructing her empathy and tolerance for others. Similarly Scout and I were both naïve to the world around us, but because of witnessing first-hand the inhumanity around us blatantly displayed a lack of empathy people contain within them. This was a learning experience for myself because it brought home racial discrimination in an event that will forever impact the way I treat others of a different race, color or religion.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The character Jenny Curran from the Movie Forrest Gump

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    The character Jenny Curran from the movie Forrest Gump, had a tough life from the very beginning of the movie throughout to the end. During the movie, most parts were assumed and not actually said. For example, as a child she was physically abused as well as sexually abuse, however, it isn’t said, a scene of her with dirty ripped clothes and older Forrest narrating says “her father was always touching and kissing her and her sister” that implies that her father was sexually abusing her. Jenny’s father was not only abusive but an alcoholic and neglected the care of Jenny. Throughout the rest of the movie, Forrest is always there to support and love her, and the detrimental decisions she makes and the different paths she endeavors, inevitably catch up with her in the end. In this essay, one of the main points we see by Jenny’s character are all of the metaphors between what she says and the advice she gives to Forrest, for example, to run from danger and her own constant behavior to fun away from whatever she is afraid of. Jenny Curran will be the focus observation and personality study. Although the main character in this film is Forrest Gump, we are able to see the trials Jenny’s incurs and how it develops her personality. The main idea of this essay is to look at Jenny’s life and find the foundation for what her personality was build on and all of the influences of change throughout her life. Her various personality and life changes will be examined as well as the environmental and social influences.

    Read More

  • Adversity In Forrest Gump

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is a great example of how persevering through life’s obstacles can make life even better than before. Being different creates many challenges for Forrest, however, he shows inner strength as he fights through these challenges. Along with this, Forrest Gump shows how having support while trying to escape a dark path will make success easier. Therefore, the movie reveals that life will not always be perfect, but it is important to persevere through the adversity that it is filled with. Ultimately, no matter the circumstances, any obstacle can be

    Read More

  • Racism In Forrest Gump

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nothing translates the modern depiction of southern literature quite like the novel, Forrest Gump. Set in the deep south of the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump gives the audience an adequate insight into how the southern way of life was in the late fifties through the seventies. The majority of the movie shows important events during American history at the time. Although this is an essential part of the storyline, the novel itself gives readers a much more in-depth look into southern life. Forrest Gump notes the racial references related to that time period, the portrayal of classic southern culture, and allows southern stereotypes to be apparent throughout.

    Read More

  • Simpleton Kindness

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people go to extremes in the name of selfless kindness, or in the case of Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber, when people who are motivated by attraction, desperation and kindness, go to extremes, more often then not something good happens in the end. Hollywood has a long standing tradition of lauding the bumbling hero who, though misguided, saves the day with little more than a kind heart and a strong will. Two examples of goodness conquering all are Tommy Boy and Dumb and Dumber. Both movies are highly comical, and play to the worst case scenario in the name of laughs, but underneath the comical exterior, the moral of both stories says, when people attempt to serve others or causes greater than themselves, goodness usually triumphs.

    Read More

  • The Unexpected Hero: Forrest Gump

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...nd genuine kindness extend further than just treating the President of the United States like a normal person, even though Forrest Gump is ignorant of the ‘issues’ of different people. At the University of Alabama, two African American students are granted acceptance after an enormous ordeal on blacks going to colleges with whites because of the insane amount of racism the United States of America had. As the two African American students made their way up the staircase, one dropped a book and Forrest rushed through police officers and rioters to pick up the book and hand the book to the colored student who dropped it. Forrest’s ignorance definitely contributes to his selflessness and generosity towards people who are different (during the time period in American history the movie was based on), however, it is one of his traits that makes him a true unexpected hero.

    Read More

More about Kindness In Forrest Gump

Open Document