Forest Gump's Triumph

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Forrest Alexander Gump was born with strong legs but a crooked spine. He was forced to wear leg braces, which made walking difficult and running nearly impossible. He also had a relatively low I.Q. of 75, which nearly prevented him from being accepted into any public school. People think he is dumb. But he isn’t, he is just simple. With so much against him, Gump singularly focuses on the thing that comes most clearly to himself. And that’s beauty, the most complex thing that this universe can offer, isn’t that ironic. I know it sounds as if I am writing an English literature essay but putting it simply, Gump looks at Earth in the most idealized and positive version, he is the best of humankind. He sees Jenny as a “pretty princess” even though she is in reality a mess. He looks at lieutenant dan, a man injured in battle with no legs with great respect, he doesn’t underestimate him, he doesn’t hinder him or treat him differently.

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Lieutenant Dan was Forrest's platoon leader during the Vietnam War in 1969 and later becomes Forrest's shrimp boat partner in the Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company. Dan invested part of the proceeds from shrimp sales in "some kind of fruit company," which was actually Apple Computer. Forest became a millionaire, even whilst being “dumb” or “disabled”, just a few of the phrases people used to chant at him through his life. Lt Dan came from a family that served in the United States Military for generations. He had ancestors killed in every American war. Forest called it “a long, great, military tradition”.

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The way forest was able to overcome all the negativity in his life  was simply to be positive. He brings out the beauty in things no matter how tragic it is. Gump is a testament to how being positive and optimistic can lead to great things.

 

Regards,

 

TheGOALKeeper