Considered a great American classic by more names then words in this essay. Forrest Gump is a movie whose surface is best described as deceiving. While the plot plods along after the many major events of the 1950-1980 America, it is the use of highly skilled symbolism, in the attempt to answer some of the most prevalent human questions of time, which puts this movie on every educators list ever. I will first give information on the movie. Then I will move into some of the questions asked and then how they are answered (or not). The movie, Forrest Gump, was officially released in 1994. The movie was based on the book, Forrest Gump, by Winston Groom, published in 1986. Strangely, it was the movie that sparked popularity …show more content…
Slowly, as the list of prominent actors and directors role by, the camera follows the fluttering of a white feather through the breeze. This feather, carried by the unseen wind, floats care free. On its journey, the camera pans past a church, the columns of a government building, and the many trees in a park. As we approach ground level, the feather brushes the shoulder of a passerby, rolls across its reflection on a windshield of a car, and then narrowly misses getting hit by the next vehicle. It then stops at the feet of Forrest Gump. The majority of the rest of them movie takes place from here, as Forrest recalls his past to the random citizenry who are also waiting for the bus. He starts from his childhood. He recalls his first pair of shoes, meeting Jenny, and how he spent most of his childhood. Forrest would get to go to college, due to his great running abilities, and via football. He would graduate after five years, and then join the military. While at basic training, he would meet Bubba. Bubba would be his best friend in the army. Bubba is convinced that, once he is done with service, he is gonna go buy a shrimp boat. Both deploy to Vietnam. Here they meet Lieutenant Dan Taylor. Sadly there platoon was ambushed and a majority of them were killed. Here Bubba dies in Forrest's arms and Dan loses both of his legs. Forrest was sent to the infirmary due to being shot in the buttocks. He receives a Medal of Honor for …show more content…
The feather is life. It may be Forrest life, due to its carefree flight. Also interpreted can be innocence from its pure white color. This symbol is in some ways a visual representation of the question, and later an answer. Is life like that of the feather, where we float through life, innocent to the events around us? Or is this unseen wind pushing us to our inevitable destiny? Forrest tells us later, after many events. He thinks it is both. They don't tell us if this is right, but leave us to interpret our own ideas as the feather floats away in the last