ia_2009_d_pedro

=D. Analysis (500-650 words) Tips]=

The film Forrest Gump is important because it allows the viewer to observe from a different point of view a “summary” of the recent American history. This is possible because Forrest doesn’t express his own judgment at any moment and therefore each one can reach his own conclusion about a particular event. The Vietnam War is also a key event in modern American History and should be regarded in detail. Defined by some as: “//the most disastrous of all America’s undertakings over the whole two hundred years of its history”. [1] // The Hippie movement, starting in America, also influenced the lifestyle of a whole generation, so its importance is evident. Even nowadays the Hippie culture is not dead at all. If we analyzed the Vietnam War in the film, we observe that two aspects are presented to us trough Forrest’s experiences. On one hand the battlefield, where Forrest fights and is able to see the horror of the war, losing his best friend and many others in the way. On the other hand; the domestic picture is also included in the film. When Forrest is chosen to make a speech in front of all the pacifists he doesn’t realize that his actions are completely contradictory. And the lack of criticism carried out by Forrest (with a little help of the scriptwriters) is specially shown here:

The policeman cuts the connection of the microphone and the next thing we can hear is:
 * FORREST -** ...there was only one thing I could say about the war in Vietnam.


 * FORREST -** ...and that's all I have to say about that. [2]

Once again, Forrest’s opinion is missing. The evidences given in the film about the Hippie movement can be identified thanks to Jenny. While Forrest has been dragged by the events during his life, Jenny, on the other hand, has been seeking for a free life and although she has had a lot of bad experiences, her life does not become less interesting than Forrest’s.

**YOUNG HIPPIE** - Hey, anybody want to go to San Francisco?


 * JENNY** - I'll go.

Here we see Jenny going to San Francisco, the //magnet for America’s counterculture// [3] and one of the places which witnessed the rise of the Hippie culture. The involvement of drugs and finally the AIDS (suffered by Jenny) show us the darkest side of this dynamical culture. But the ideas of the hippie culture weren’t only shared by people like Jenny or the different characters who appeared in the film: “//Harvard University professors […] advocated psychotropic drugs for psychotherapy, self-exploration, religious and spiritual use.” [4] // Therefore, in order to study the Hippie aspect within the film, the figure of Jenny has to be regarded as the main character of the film. There are various interpretations about the Vietnam War. In the film the causes of the war are not presented, but the life of the soldiers in that distant country is. Contrasting to Forrest’s simple view of Vietnam: //“I got to see a lot of countryside. We would take these real long walks.” [5] // The reality was different: “//We rationalized destroying villages in order to save them. We saw America lose her sense of morality…” [6] //

[1] George R. Kennan’s depiction of the Vietnam War – www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/vietnam/postwar.htm [2] //Forrest Gump - 1994// [3] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – San Francisco City [4] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - //Hippie// [5] ibis [6] John Kerry – A vietnam veteran