Forrest Gump (character)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Forrest Alexander Gump is a fictional character and the title protagonist of the 1986
novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Winston Groom Winston Francis Groom Jr. (March 23, 1943 – September 17, 2020) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer. He is best known for his novel '' Forrest Gump'' (1986), which became a cultural phenomenon after being adapted as a 1994 film of ...
,
Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He first came to public attention as the director of the action-adventure romantic comedy ''Romancing the Stone'' (1984), the science-fiction comedy ''Back to the Future'' film tr ...
' 1994 film of the same name, and ''
Gump and Co. ''Gump & Co.'' (or ''Forrest Gump and Co.'') is a 1995 novel by Winston Groom. It is the sequel to his 1986 novel '' Forrest Gump'' and the Academy Award-winning 1994 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks. It was written to chronicle Forre ...
'', the written sequel to Groom's novel. In the film, Forrest is a college football All-American
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
veteran and
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient, champion international
ping pong Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
player, businessman, and philanthropist whose accomplishments and pursuits bring him to experience critical events in the
20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...
, and meet various significant people, including
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
, and
U.S. Presidents The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term Term may refer to: * Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in pa ...
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
,
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, and
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
. He exudes a compassionate, optimistic, and tenacious attitude in the face of countless setbacks. Thriving from the strong upbringing of his mother, he strives to help every person he meets despite his strong naïveté and some people's negative perception of him due to his lack of intellect. Throughout his life, he maintains a sincere love for his childhood friend Jennifer Curran, whom he affectionately calls Jenny and eventually comes to marry.
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
portrayed the character in the film and earned his second consecutive
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. The ...
for his performance (Hanks won the previous year for ''
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
''), while
Michael Conner Humphreys Michael Conner Humphreys (born March 1, 1985) is an American actor best known for playing young Forrest Gump in the 1994 film of the same name, a performance for which he was nominated for a Young Artist Award. Biography Humphreys was born in ...
portrayed Forrest as a child. In 2019, Forrest Gump was named the 27th greatest movie character of all time by ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine.


Fictional character biography


Early years

Forrest was born near the small town of Greenbow,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, on June 6, 1944. His father was absent during his life, and his mother said he was "on vacation". His mother named Forrest after their ancestor
Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...
, a
Scotch-Irish American Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) Americans are American descendants of Ulster Protestants who emigrated from Ulster in northern Ireland to America during the 18th and 19th centuries, whose ancestors had originally migrated to Ireland mainly from t ...
and a noted
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
general in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and the first
Grand Wizard The Grand Wizard (later the Grand and Imperial Wizard simplified as the Imperial Wizard and eventually, the National Director) referred to the national leader of several different Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States and abroad. The ti ...
of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
. She intended his name to be a reminder that "sometimes we all do things that, well, just don't make no sense". Forrest was born with strong legs but a
crooked spine Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's Vertebral column, spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild sco ...
. He was forced to wear
leg braces Orthotics ( el, Ορθός, translit=ortho, lit=to straighten, to align) is a medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses, or braces. An is "an externally applied device used to influence the structural and functio ...
which made walking difficult and running nearly impossible. He also had a relatively low
I.Q. An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. The abbreviation "IQ" was coined by the psychologist William Stern for the German term ''Intelligenzq ...
of 75, which nearly prevented him from being accepted into public school; his mother managed to get the principal to reconsider by letting him sleep with her. Despite his physical and mental challenges, Forrest's mother told him not to let anyone tell him he was different, telling him "stupid is as stupid does". Forrest and his mother lived in a large house just outside the town of Greenbow in the state of Alabama. They made money by renting out rooms to travelers. One of their guests was a young
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. Forrest liked dancing to Elvis' music and his leg braces gave him a unique dancing style that would inspire Elvis's "hip dancing", for his song " Hound Dog". On the bus ride on Forrest's first day of school, Forrest met Jenny Curran and was instantly taken by her. "I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life," he would later say of her, "she was like an angel." The two became close friends, often playing around a large nearby tree. Forrest described their relationship saying, "Jenny and me was like peas and carrots." Jenny was one of the few people besides his mother to accept Forrest as he was, helping him learn to read and stand up to bullies who harassed him. However, Jenny's home life was not nearly as happy as Forrest's: her mother had died when she was five and her father was an abusive alcoholic who molested an
beat his children
(until Jenny was taken away to live with her grandmother), and Forrest's friendship offered her an escape. One day, a group of bullies were throwing rocks at Forrest, and one of them cut his forehead. Jenny told Forrest, "Run Forrest run!", which he did, only to prompt the bullies to chase him on their bikes. As Forrest struggled to run, his leg braces broke apart. Once he was free of them, Forrest was able to run incredibly fast. Forrest would never wear leg braces again, and was able to run anywhere he wanted to after that.


College

Forrest and Jenny remained close friends all the way through high school, though he remained a target for bullies. One day, while running from some bullies, he interrupted the local high school's football practice by running across the field faster than all the players. This feat caught the attention of
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
head football coach
Paul "Bear" Bryant Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of t ...
, who was at the practice scouting football players. After his incredible running ability impressed the coach, Forrest received a football scholarship to the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
, where his speed helped them win several games. He played for five years and wore jersey number 44, which is believed to be a reference to his birth year. He was later named to the
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n team and got to meet President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
. When asked by the President how he felt, Forrest (having consumed about fifteen
Dr Pepper Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904. It is now also sold in Euro ...
sodas) gave an honest answer: "I gotta pee." Forrest was also present at the university when it was
desegregated Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...
and observed Governor
George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist and ...
's
Stand in the Schoolhouse Door The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door took place at Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963. George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, in a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise of " segregation now, segregation tom ...
, denouncing the desegregation. While several citizens jeered the black students entering the campus, Forrest, not entirely understanding the situation, simply walked up to
Vivian Malone Vivian Juanita Malone Jones (July 15, 1942 – October 13, 2005) was one of the first two black students to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, and in 1965 became the university's first black graduate. She was made famous when George Wal ...
and handed her a book she dropped, saying simply "Ma'am? You dropped your book...ma'am?" before following her and
James Hood James Alexander Hood (November 10, 1942 – January 17, 2013) was one of the first African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, and was made famous when Alabama Governor George Wallace attempted to block him and fellow ...
into school, causing his coaches to watch the incident in disbelief. Forrest later spends time with Jenny in her college dormitory during a rainy day, after she had been abused by another college boy.


In the Army

At his college graduation in 1966, Forrest was approached by an army recruiter who asked if he'd "...given any thought to his future". Soon after, Forrest would join the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. On the bus going to boot camp, Forrest met Benjamin Buford Blue, a young black man from
Bayou La Batre, Alabama Bayou La Batre ( or ) is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,204, down from 2,558 at the 2010 census. Bayou La Batre is a fishing village wi ...
, who went by the nickname "Bubba". Bubba told Forrest about his family history of cooking
shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
and how he had planned to buy his own shrimping boat after getting out of the army. Bubba explains to Forrest that he loves all kinds of shrimp, and makes a long list of different types, with Forrest being the only one to really listen to him. Forrest did well in the army as he followed orders well without distraction; for example, he set a new
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
record for assembling his
M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, ...
with his drill sergeant, who regularly singled him out as an example for the other recruits, replying he would be an Army General. Meanwhile, while Jenny was having multiple relationships with different men, having been kicked out of school for wearing her school sweater to pose in ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...
'', she had gotten work singing in the nude at a strip club in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
under the stage name ' Bobbie Dylan'. Forrest goes to visit her at the club, and gets into a fight with some patrons who are harassing her during her performance. During an argument that takes place shortly after, Forrest tells Jenny that he loves her, but Jenny replies that he "doesn't know what love is". Jenny is angry, but later becomes concerned when he tells her he was being deployed to
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
to serve in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Jenny tells him not to try being brave if he was ever in trouble and to just run away instead. While in Vietnam, and assigned to company A, 2/47th Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, Forrest and Bubba meet their platoon leader Lieutenant Dan Taylor, whom Forrest would refer to as "Lieutenant Dan". While on patrol, Bubba proposed that he and Forrest go into the shrimping business together after their time in the army was finished, and Forrest agreed. After several uneventful months, their platoon was ambushed by the
Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...
and several soldiers were wounded and killed. In the confusion, Forrest initially was ordered to retreat, and was separated from the rest of his platoon, but after becoming concerned for Bubba, he ran back to look for him. Forrest then found Lieutenant Dan and several other wounded soldiers and carried them to safety before continuing to look for Bubba. Forrest finally found Bubba badly wounded and managed to carry him away from the combat area before it was hit with
napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated al ...
from an air strike. Sadly, Bubba died of complications from his wounds soon after. His last words were "I wanna go home." Forrest himself was shot in the
buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...
during the firefight and recovered in an army medical center in
Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
. Lieutenant Dan was in the bed next to his, having lost his legs because of his injuries. Lieutenant Dan later became angry at Forrest for cheating him out of his destiny to die in battle with honor (as several of his ancestors had) and rendering him disabled.


Washington, D.C.

Forrest later receives the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
for his bravery in Vietnam. When being awarded, President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
asked where he was hit and when Forrest told him, the President whispered in his ear, saying he'd like to see it someday. Forrest promptly lowered his trousers and turned to show him his wound (while on national TV). President Johnson simply smiles and walks away. Shortly thereafter, Forrest went out sightseeing in Washington, D.C. and accidentally found himself among a group of veterans attending an anti-war rally led by
Abbie Hoffman Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponen ...
. While making a speech at the rally that was rudely cut off by a policeman, he was reunited with Jenny, who had since become a
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
. Forrest was less enamored with her new boyfriend Wesley, the president of the SDS at
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...
, and beat him up after he saw him hit Jenny during an argument at a
Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...
gathering. Forrest and Jenny stayed up all night while Jenny told Forrest of her travels. Before they went their separate ways again in the morning, Forrest gave Jenny his Medal of Honor, saying "I got it just by doing what you told me to do," since Jenny told him to just run away instead of being brave in combat.


Ping Pong and New York City

In 1969, Forrest joined the Army Special Services, where he entertained wounded military veterans with his Ping-Pong skills. His exceptional skills earned him a place in the All-American Ping Pong team, with whom he traveled to China during the
Ping Pong Diplomacy Ping-pong diplomacy ( ''Pīngpāng wàijiāo'') refers to the exchange of table tennis (ping-pong) players between the United States (US) and People's Republic of China (PRC) in the early 1970s, that began during the 1971 World Table Tennis Cha ...
period of the early 1970s. Upon his return, Forrest was a national celebrity, "famous-er even than
Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...
", and was invited to New York City by
Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In ...
to appear on
The Dick Cavett Show ''The Dick Cavett Show'' was the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including: * ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968–January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning'' * ABC prime time, Tuesdays, We ...
, where
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
was also a guest at the time. Hearing Forrest talking about the Chinese having "no possessions" and "no religion" during his interview with Dick would eventually inspire John Lennon to write the song "
Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...
". Soon after, Forrest reunites and stays with Lieutenant Dan, his platoon leader from Vietnam and now using a wheelchair, over the winter holidays. Dan has since become an alcoholic who has lost all faith in God, and was dismayed that such an "imbecile" like Forrest could earn the Medal of Honor and humiliate himself on national television. During a New Year's Eve celebration in 1971, Forrest persuades Lieutenant Dan to join him in the shrimping business as his first mate, in an effort to fulfill his promise made to Bubba earlier in Vietnam. Dan later invites two prostitutes, Carla and Lenore, to his New Year's Day party, both of whom he eventually kicked out of his apartment for insulting Forrest when Forrest rejected their advances. Forrest apologizes to Dan for ruining his party, simply saying that the prostitutes "smelt like cigarettes", to which Dan replied by simply wishing Forrest Happy New Year. In June 1972, Forrest was invited with the US Ping Pong team to the White House, where he meets President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, who offers him a room to stay in at Watergate Hotel. That night, Forrest was awakened by a group of people with flashlights breaking into an unlit office. Mistaking it for a power outage, Forrest calls security guard Frank Wills to inform him about the break-in, inadvertently initiating the
Watergate Scandal The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
and leading to Richard Nixon's resignation in August 1974. In that same year, Forrest was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of Sergeant.


Shrimping Boat Captain

Upon his return in August 1974, Forrest finds his Greenbow house filled with memorabilia capitalizing on his fame as a ping-pong player in China. At his mother's insistence, Forrest made $25,000 endorsing a brand of ping-pong paddles, and used most of the money to travel to Bubba's hometown of Bayou La Batre and purchase a boat. When someone pointed out it was bad luck to have a boat without a name, Forrest names his boat after Jenny, which he calls, "The most beautiful name in the whole wide world." Unbeknownst to Forrest, Jenny had descended into a life of drugs, burglary and sexual promiscuity at this point, but an event in which she nearly slips and falls off a balcony as she "contemplates" suicide while high on drugs in a Los Angeles apartment shakes her to her core. Later Forrest was visited by Lieutenant Dan who, just as he said he would do on New Year's Eve of 1971, had come to be Forrest's first mate. For several weeks, the two had no luck catching shrimp. However, things changed when the area was hit by Hurricane Carmen. Forrest's boat was the only one left standing and they found themselves with a monopoly of shrimp. Under the name
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is an American seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film ''Forrest Gump''. As of October 2022, thirty-four Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants operate worldwide. Twenty-two of these locations are in the United ...
, they soon became very wealthy. Apparently having faced his demons during the storm, Lieutenant Dan thanked Forrest for saving his life in Vietnam, and Forrest assumes that Dan (without actually saying so) made peace with God.


Home in Alabama

Forrest returned home to Greenbow in September 1975 when he learned his mother was dying of cancer. After her death, Forrest stays and leaves his shrimping industry in the hands of Lieutenant Dan and retired to mowing and cutting grass and lawns, as he apparently enjoys doing it. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Dan participated in a substantial investment into what Forrest says to be "some kind of fruit company". In reality, the company was the fledgling
Apple Computer Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...
. With the money he got from the Apple Computer investment, Forrest spent them on renovating the church he frequents, establishing a medical center at Bubba's hometown and gave Bubba's family Bubba's share of the investment money that is enough for them to never work again. Jenny returned to Greenbow and moves in with Forrest. The two spent time together catching up, and Forrest later describes it as "the happiest time of islife again". One day, they happen to walk past the now abandoned house that had belonged to Jenny's father. She stares transfixed for a moment, and then starts throwing every rock she can find at it, before collapsing in despair, and now Forrest truly understands the ordeal she had been through as a child. Another night, July 4, 1976, Forrest asked Jenny to marry him, but she turns him down, saying "You don't want to marry me." Forrest replies with, "Why don't you love me Jenny? I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is." After this exchange, Jenny comes to Forrest's bedroom, tells him she loves him, and the two make love. Wanting to restart on her own, Jenny hails a cab very early the next morning and leaves before he wakes up.


Running

Forrest's new-found loneliness leads him to take a run "for no particular reason". At first, he decides to run to the end of the road, then across town, then across the county, then all the way to the Mississippi border. Eventually, he criss-crosses the country several times over a span of three years. Forrest attracts media coverage, and eventually, dozens of followers initiating and inspiring what would become the jogging craze of 1978–81. Meanwhile, Jenny has taken a job as a waitress in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
and sees news coverage of Forrest's run on television. During the run, he inspires the phrase "
Shit happens ''Shit happens'' is a slang phrase that is used as a simple existential observation that life is full of unpredictable events, similar to "c'est la vie". The phrase is an acknowledgment that bad things happen to people seemingly for no particul ...
" to a bumper-sticker salesman after stepping in a pile of dog droppings. He also uses a yellow T-shirt provided to him by a shirt designer to wipe off his face after being splattered by mud from a big rig. In the process, he forms the iconic "
Smiley face A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
" logo and tells the man "Have a nice day." One day, while running in the
Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
, Forrest suddenly stops; his followers all stop and listen on in anticipation, expecting him to offer words of wisdom, but instead he simply announces that he's tired, then turns around and walks back to Alabama, leaving his followers dumbfounded at his sudden decision.


Back to the present

Back to the present (the "present" in the film being 1981, as seen from a car and on a bus, and televised footage of Ronald Reagan's escape from assassination), Forrest tells his latest companion on the bench, an elderly woman, that he had recently received a letter from Jenny asking him to come see her. When told Forrest's destination, the old lady informs him that it is only 5 to 6 blocks away. Thanking her, Forrest sets off on foot towards Jenny's home. Forrest and Jenny are happy to see each other. However, before they can do much catching up, Forrest is introduced to Jenny's young son, a bright young boy whom she named Forrest after him. Forrest at first thinks she met another man named Forrest, until she explains "You're his daddy, Forrest." Forrest's fearful inquiry as to Little Forrest's intelligence leads Jenny to quickly assert that he is completely normal. Forrest learns that Jenny is sick from an unknown virus (implied to be either HIV or Hepatitis C, as both were unknown diseases at that time) which has no known cure. He invites her and Little Forrest to come home and stay with him. She asks him to marry her and he accepts. Forrest and Jenny's wedding is a quiet, intimate ceremony attended only by a handful of family and friends. Among the attendees is Lieutenant Dan, who has titanium prosthetic legs (claiming to be made of the same material as the
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
), with his Vietnamese fiancée Susan. It is the only time Jenny and Dan meet. Forrest, Jenny and Little Forrest only have a year together as a family before Jenny would pass away. It is implied by Forrest that she died on a Saturday, despite the date of death marked on her tombstone (March 22, 1982) being a Monday. Before she dies, she asked Forrest what it was like in Vietnam. He responded by saying that it was nice, and when it stopped raining, it would be quiet and peaceful. He also states that while running in
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, it looked as if there were two skies and two mountains (since there was a lake in front of the mountain). Forrest also states that while running in the desert, when the sun was rising, it was the most beautiful sight ever. Jenny responds by saying that she wished she was there with him. Forrest smiles and says, "You were there with me". Forrest has her buried under the tree where they played as children, then buys her childhood home (where her father had abused her) and has it bulldozed. Though he misses Jenny terribly, Forrest becomes a good father to Little Forrest. Visiting Jenny's grave one day in 1982, he reflects on the idea of fate and destiny, wondering if Lieutenant Dan was right about people having their own destiny, or if his mother was right about description of life as floating around accidentally like on a breeze. Forrest eventually decides "maybe it's both, maybe both are happening at the same time." He leaves Jenny a letter from Little Forrest and tells her "If there's anything you need, I won't be far away." Forrest is last seen outside his home, sitting where he and his mother sat waiting for the bus, seeing Little Forrest off on his bus ride to school, telling him that he loves him and that he will be waiting for him.


Awards and decorations

The following are the medals and service awards fictionally worn by Forrest during his time as a U.S. Army service member.


Differences from the novel

The portrayal of Forrest in the original novel differs from how he was portrayed in the film. In the novel, Forrest is shown to be somewhat cynical and abrasive, while in the film, he is more placid and naïve. The novel also describes him as being a savant with extraordinary talent in numerical calculation (as shown when he states the exact amount of time in years, months, days and hours that he spent running across the country). Other changes from the novel to the film include the deaths of Forrest's mother and his wife, Jenny, neither of whom died in the original book, although the sequel '' Gump & Co.'', written in response to the film, begins with both characters dying off-page. Whilst the film has him running around the country for over three long years, the novel sends him rocketing into space and later crash-landing in New Guinea and being captured by a tribe of cannibals. The novel also provides additional backstory on his father. It is revealed that his father was a
longshoreman A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
who worked for
United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
. He was killed when a crate of bananas being loaded off of a boat fell on top of him, crushing him to death. Forrest goes on a number of different adventures including being an
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
, playing the harmonica in a band called the Cracked Eggs, becoming a professional wrestler ("The Dunce") and running for the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
(with the campaign slogan "We Got to Pee").


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gump, Forrest Characters in American novels of the 20th century Drama film characters Fictional businesspeople Fictional characters from Alabama Fictional characters with musculoskeletal system disorders Fictional characters with disfigurements Fictional characters with intellectual disability Fictional fishers Fictional janitors Fictional Medal of Honor recipients Fictional male sportspeople Fictional military captains Fictional military sergeants Fictional musicians Fictional people from the 20th-century Fictional philanthropists Fictional players of American football Fictional privates Fictional professional wrestlers Fictional runners Fictional sea captains Fictional sportspeople Fictional United States Army personnel Fictional Vietnam War veterans Film characters introduced in 1994 Literary characters introduced in 1986 Male characters in film Male characters in literature Military humor