Forrest Gump Development Analysis

Forrest Gump is a complex and interesting lead character and provides a unique contrast to typical early adulthood behavior. In the film, from the time he attends college, towards the end of the film where he begins his role as a father, Forrest goes through normal events that occur in the lives of many young adults. His reaction and development is different from most however, and he goes through interesting events and experiences. This contrast between typical life events and a slower than normal development shows that some expectations about cognitive abilities may not be as important. Even those who are considered "slow" by the mainstream population can be successful and live a life full of typical life events that fall within a typical timeframe. Through most of the film, which is the focus of this stage in life, Forrest goes from about 18 years old, to mid-thirties. This encompasses the general range known as early adulthood. Physically, Forrest is strong, athletic, and healthy. He does go through some health-related issues in childhood and suffers from such injuries as a bullet wound during the Vietnam War, but in general his health remains consistently good in comparison to the other characters who suffer from chronic and fatal diseases and one who suffers from a permanently disabling injury resulting in the amputation of his legs. His cognitive status is not as advanced as his physical abilities, however. Since very early childhood he has been classified as "slow" and this has not changed in adulthood. Despite this, he is able to attend college, and graduate, signifying that he does indeed have some cognitive abilities in the classroom. Emotionally, Forrest does experience emotions such as falling in love, grief, excitement, nervousness, and so on. These emotions come very naturally and are experienced as one might expect, for example, when Forrest's mother dies he is very sad and when other people in his life pass away he experiences the same grief that