Allegory in Forrest Gump

Gump as allegory?

While I both read the book and watched the film ‘Forrest Gump’, Forrest’s journey along American history was one of the most interesting parts of the story. As I watched the progress of Forrest, I was not only amused by somewhat unbelievable nature of the story but started to think that the author must have had a reason for writing such a far-fetched novel: allegory.

The protagonist Forrest represents America. He is not discriminating, willing to risk his own life for others, suffers abuse from others without retaliation, consistent, and defends what he loves. As Forrest progress in the novel, he never forgets Jenny who he loves. He sacrifices himself to save people and protects people. These qualities of Forrest are similar to what America, or more precisely ‘Ideal America’, should have.

However, Jenny is who symbolizes all that is wrong with America. She had a hard childhood filled with abuse. She acts out and does drastic things such as drugs. As a baby boom hippie, Jenny suggests that America holds several problems. The author suggests that one should cure and change Jenny, problems in America.

There are several other characters in the movie who were used as a symbol, such as the school principal who represents corrupt government or Forrest’s mother who represents caring god-like figure. However, I was most intrigued by Forrest and Jenny’s son. Jenny gives birth to her son and hopes him to be just like his father; we should hope our children be better and put our hopes to the future.

One may think that Forrest Gump is just a amusing child-like story, but it was interesting to look it from a different angle and see America’s social problems and solutions in one novel.

Forrest Gump reflection (-p30)

The first thing that made this novel distinctive was its narrative style. For the first few pages, Forrest’s narrative was so confusing that it was hard to concentrate on the content due to lack of emotion and puzzling vocabularies. However, after some time when I got used to it, I began to think about the author’s intention when he created the voice of Forrest.

I first thought that the author was just trying to vividly depict Forrest. This thought, although partly true, was not entirely right after I read the story further. When I thought about my reactions to Forrest’s narrative and considered other characters’ reaction in the story, I realized that other characters in the novel felt similar to me. Prejudices about Forrest’s lack of ability to communicate have made others disregard everything Forrest says. Even Jenny who was the only one who tried to listen to him changed after Forrest accidentally ripped her clothes off. 

Seeing how Jenny had made Forrest better in the beginning of the story, I could feel how Forrest wanted someone to listen to him (Jenny was the only person who tried to do so). I wish in the later part of the story that someone would pay attention to him because that is what he desperately needs.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest - reflection 1.

I have not finished the story yet, but even so, there were a lot to think about.
At first, the novel was hard to understand because of the unstable nature of the narrator: Chief Bromden. His narratives were mostly confusing but interesting because he showed the story well as an observant mental patient. I could see how Bromden is an unreliable narrator. Sometimes, I forgot how he was a mental patient but Bromden often talks about unreliable contents such as people shrinking or growing.

Once I got over the shock I got from Bromden, I tried to think about the big picture that the author Ken Kesey wanted to paint. As this novel was wrote in 1962, the height of government oppression, I thought that the hospital in the novel is an allusion to the society at that time. Also, the patients and the nurse seemed like normal citizens and powers which tried to oppress them. It was interesting to see that the nurse and the guards were women and African Americans who were considered comparatively week at that time.

Lastly, I noticed how McMurphy was an interesting character inside this novel. Although I have not finished the novel yet, I got the impression that McMurphy was not insane, at least not like the patients confined in the hospital. Maybe that was why he was frustrated when the nurse tried to keep him oppressed just like other patients. Until now his rebellions(?) have been successful, but I wonder whether it would be so in the back of the novel. Oppression and atmosphere might change McMurphy as time goes on.

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption - reflection

After reading the novella and watching the movie, I have felt that hope is one of the most important theme discussed in both of them. Several symbols by Stephen King showed how hope was very important in the story.

Brooks and the library

Andy's library is one of those symbols which suggests hope. Unlike other prisoners who were living passive lives, Andy keeps his hope by several attempts, such as tunneling his way through his concrete wall. One of those is the library which is one of Andy's ambitious plans. Andy tried to change Shawshank into a better place but it seems as if he was becoming institutionalized just like Brooks. However, everything changed when Tommy Williams tried to prove Andy's innocence and gets killed while doing so. This act revived the hope inside Andy and prompted his escape.

Rita Hayworth, along with other women, is the symbol of hope for the prisoners in Shawshank and even more for Andy because he was making a tunnel behind the posters. Rita Hayworth and the tunnel were the reasons for him not getting hopeless as others. The fact that he had a way out of the prison made his prison-life more tolerable.

When I first read the story I did not think much about the rocks that Andy was sculpting. However, apart from the fact that he was able to build a tunnel with the rock hammer, he felt normal because he was pursuing a normal hobby which was not what other prisoners did and thus lacked the hope that Andy had. The rocks were something which connected him with the society and helped him maintain his calm.

Many symbolism in the story have helped the author's message, but I thought that these three have expressed hope particularly well in the novella.

Hero's Journey- High School Musical

High School Musical

Group: Wildcats 

Our Film: High School Musical 

Why we chose it: It happens to be the one of the few films that all three of us watched. Jesik is a big fan of this film!!






ACT I 

1. Ordinary World: Before Gabriel transfers to East High 

2. Call to Adventure: the audition 

3. Refusal of the Call: Taylor and Chad want their teammates to focus on their upcoming competitions rather than the musical, so they try to prevent Troy from participating in the audition 

4. Meeting the Mentor: Gabriela helps Troy gain confidence 

5. Crossing the Threshold: Troy realizes his passion for music. 


ACT II 

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: Chad and the basketball team trick Troy into saying that Gabriella is not important while she watches through computer screen that her science team has set up. 

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave: Gabriella is hurt and she refuses to talk to Troy. Gabriella tells Troy that she has decided not to audition for the musical. 

8. Ordeal: Sharpay convinces Ms. Darbus to change the callback time so the basketball championship and the scholastic decathlon overlaps. 

9. Reward: Troy’s friends feel guilty for what they have done and go to Gabriel to confess. After Chad and the basketball team tell Troy what they did and offer to support him in callbacks, Troy goes to Gabriella's house and they make up. 


ACT III 

10. The Road Back: On the day of the competitions, Taylor and Gabriella use the schools computers to cause a series of mishaps that delay the big game and the decathlon. 

11. Resurrection: Troy and Gabriella makes it to the audition. Troy and Gabriella gets the lead roles. 

12. Return With the Elixir: The entire school gather and celebrate in the gym.