Posted on 01/25/2021 5:41:44 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants
Recently, a friend told me that she’s never seen Forrest Gump before—which is a crime in my house. So I made her watch the movie with me (spoilers ahead).
In light of recent events, this movie has taken on a new meaning for me.
Though Forrest and Jenny started “like peas and carrots,” each of them soon got swept up by a different one of America’s 20th-century cultural currents.
Forrest’s path was classically American: going to college, playing football, serving his country, starting his own business, and going to church.
Jenny, on the other hand, dabbles in counterculture: dropping out of college, becoming a beatnik and then a hippie, joining the anti-war protests, indulging in the sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll of the ‘70s.
In these two characters, I saw a reflection of today’s America—with one side supporting the American tradition and the other opposing it.
Jenny’s path finds her used and abused multiple times, first as a sex worker and then as a girlfriend. While she experiences momentary freedom as a hippie, she eventually devolves into a groupie who steals from the musicians she sleeps with and hits her lowest point when she attempts suicide.
But Forrest never stops loving Jenny, no matter how much their paths deviated from each other. He gets rejected by her multiple times but remains there for her through everything—never imposing, never selfish, never angry, always altruistic.
It’s precisely because of Forrest’s love that Jenny is able to find happiness in the end, and it’s a kind of love that I think we can use more of in our society today.
2020 has shown me the destructive power of the forces that are working against our traditional values. Coming from a communist country, I know that these forces don’t just destroy their enemies: they also destroy the same people who advocate for them.
Many people around me don’t truly understand these forces, however, and they’re people I care for deeply. Like Jenny, they were attracted to the prospect of freedom that these forces offered, and like Jenny, they’re unable to see the destruction that these forces could cause to a person.
It's not easy, but I think that the best thing I can do for them is to be their Forrest. Even though they may seem to be confident in their decisions now, I have to be there for them with compassion and patience. I have to love them simply and selflessly; I have to stay firm in my own convictions and not give up.
For history tells me that one day, they might regret their decisions. When that day comes, they’re going to need someone there to help bring them back.
I don’t think Jenny ever assumed a pathologic obsession to destroy Forrest. That is where the analogy breaks down.
Glad you liked that film and I’ll leave it at that...
Forrest Gump is a movie. It is not real life. It may well be someone’s dream of real life, but it is clearly not reality.
If we simply see this human relationship as a sort of metaphor for Right and Left America, we can see what a one-way street the relationship is. The right is tolerant and wants union and compromise. That's not just talk. We really want to work with the people who disagree with us. The Left, on the other hand, keeps screwing everything up and just hates us more and more because they are so sure they're right about everything. They don't want to work with us. They want to destroy us. Because, you know, we're the problem.
In light of recent events, this movie has taken on a new meaning for me.
The writer left out she was sexually abused by her dad when she was young.
Right. Modern feel-good fairy tale at best.
Then I noticed all the deadfall from recent storms in the woods all around. I realized that all of this would make good firewood eventually. Also, live trees continue to grow.
The question I have is whether or not the trees are growing fast enough to replenish the firewood we are burning. I would venture to say that growth of trees is in excess of the firewood being burned in America.
In fact, if every household in America burned two cords of firewood each year, we would likely still not run out of trees and trees would continue to grow in excess of firewood supply even with that kind of usage.
it’s like a box of chocolates
Now, Jenny would have an OnlyFans account and would feel “empowered.” /sarc
Unfortunately, Jenny has gone mainstream in today’s society.
Lol...and Lieutenant Dan made sure Forrest was an early investor in Apple, so he would now be beholden to the ChiComs.
You are both correct. How would in have turned out if Jenny had obsessively tried to destroy Forrest spiritually, emotionally, legally, and financially? I think that Forrest would have eventually turned his back on her as he could not forget what she had done to him.
Ummm, okay. What does this have to do with the topic?
“For me, the same thing happened with Mr Robot on Amazon Prime. I watched a couple of episodes in 2020 and lost interest. Then January 6th happened. I’m now halfway through season 3 and at the edge of my seat.”
I loved that series when it first came on. I really enjoyed the first season. However, I lost interest in the first couple of episodes of season 2. That’s good to know that you are enjoying it. I will have to give it another try.
D
I had to ignore the “Trump” part. That’s all I’m gonna say.
Yes, if Jenny never had deep-seated anger, resentment and jealousy towards Forrest, it would have been an accurate description.
My takeaway was that Forrest was the most intelligent character in the movie ... by far.
My takeaway was that Forrest lead a simple life, worked hard, did what he said he would do and always did the right thing.
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