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课程论文



题 目
On American
Ideological Conceptions and
Values from Forrest Gump



学生姓名 申菁

学 号 2

院 系 语言文化学院

专 业 英语

课程名称__英语学术论文写作____

任课教师 汪徽



二Ｏ一二 年 五 月 十五 日

On American Ideological Conceptions and Values from Forrest
Gump



By Shen Jing








Department of English
School of Language and Culture
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
May, 2012

On American Ideological Conceptions and Values from
Forrest Gump

Shen Jing
Department of English
School of Language and Culture
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology


Abstract: Films can reflect the life of people, ideas and even values. Though a film, the viewer
can understand the people who come from different countries about the way of life and their
attitudes towards the life. The legend experience of the main character Gump from the American
film Forrest Gump has leaved a deep impression on us. From this film we have known the
ideological conceptions and values which are inherited generation by generation in America. This
paper aims to analyze the American ideas and values which are reflected from Forrest Gump,
including the American dream, the American optimism and the American belief.

Key words:

Forrest Gump; American ideas; values; American dream; optimism; religious faith

摘要：电影反映人们的生活，思想观念和价值观。透过电影，观赏者可以了解到不同国家人< br>们的生活方式和他们对待生活的态度。美国电影《阿甘正传》中的主人公阿甘一生的传奇经
历，给 我们留下了非常深刻的印象。通过这部电影，我们了解到了美国世代传承的思想观念
和价值观。本文旨在 分析《阿甘正传》这部电影所反映的这些美国思想观念和价值观，包括
美国梦、美国信仰观以及美国人的 乐观主义。
关键词：《阿甘正传》；美国思想观念；价值观；乐观主义；宗教信仰观


1. The Introduction of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump was born in the southern United States Alabama the green bough
county town in the middle of the last century. For the premature death of his father,
Forrest was raised by his mother alone. Forrest’s mother always used her own words

to teach Forrest about things happening in daily life. His IQ is only 75, but for his
running talent he successfully finished college and joined the army, then to the
Vietnam War. In the army, he met the ‘shrimp fan’ Bubba and Lieutenant Dan Taylor
who was always jumpy. However, Bubba was killed in the Vietnam War and
Lieutenant Dan lost both legs. Fortunately, Forrest Gump became a war hero because
he had saved others in the war. By turning back home, he bought a ship and began to
shrimp in order to fulfill the promise of Bubba. After a series of chance occurrences,
not only has he resolved the complaints with Lieutenant Dan, but also somehow has
accumulated a massive assets. But money is not the thing which Forrest has regarded
as important in his life. Another important role in the film is Jenny who was Forrest’s
childhood sweetheart. This girl has her own dream to be a folk singer by playing
guitar and she doesn’t want to let a lackluster through her life. At last, Forrest married
Jenny happily with their lovely son. Although in the end Forrest’s mother and Jenny
both went to heaven, Forrest seems to understand many things in his life by these
special experiences.

2. The Theme of Forrest Gump

Family love, friendship and love is always the eternal topic in human history. The
film just tells the things happened in Forrest Gump on the family love, friendship and
love story around the background of the folly culture. He is handicap and has a low
IQ, so people living in the town all are in the eyes of the strange look at Forrest Gump
except two women who take care of him and love him by his side. One is his mother
who has given him the great motherly love, and another is Jenny who has warmed his
heart by her pure girl feelings. In the mother’s, Forrest Gump is not a burden but a
precious gift given by the God. She has raised her son with all her forces and always
has a way to find the most straightaway language to make Forrest Gump understand
some senses in the life like “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what
you’re going to get.” “Stupid is as stupid does”. Besides these, in order to be able to
earn his learning opportunities like normal children, she even promised to sleep with
the headmaster.

Forrest Gump expresses many different themes, and among these is “never give
up” which is repeated by the director. This film is worth watching for the reason that
it not only gives a person with emotional education but also is a story about the
United States in the 1950s to 1982 years of social history. Although Forrest Gump’s
IQ is low, but he is so simple and with firm faith that he accomplished many things
which normal people have never thought to do, and at last, he made remarkable
achievement in sports, battlefield and market. Throughout the life of Forrest Gump,
there were some important events during the American postwar such as the Hillbilly
Cat, the Beatles, the racial issue, the Vietnam War and Anti-war, the Water Gate
Scandal, the ping- pong diplomacy and so on. The story of Forrest Gump is like a laser
which reflects all aspects of life causing the audience think about their life.

3. The religious faith reflected by Forrest Gump

In the film, words abound with characteristic of Christian have appeared many
times: God appears 8 times, Jesus appears 5 times and “destiny” appears even 9 times.
The film follows Forrest Gump’s life destiny as the main line, and the plot
encompasses on the different life of the main characters that are close with Forrest
Gump, and embodies the unique understanding about the fate by the American people,
reflecting the Americans unique religious values.
There is no doubt that the United States is the world’s most advanced country on
science and technology development, the riches country on economically prosperous
material life. Happened to, the American religious consciousness should be the
weakest compared to the European countries. However, the United States is a murky
society filled with fierce competition, serious utilitarian thought, nervous
interpersonal relationship, and interests conflicts which often lead in wheeling and
dealing in the life. Therefore, to participate in a religious group often gives a person a
kind of belonging, a heart asylum, a kind of social recognition, and a group of along
with satisfaction. In many cases, it can be said that the fate of the world in the hand of
the United States, and in the film Forrest Gump the fate of the heroine is in his grasp,
these all gives the united nation and its representatives Forrest Gump enormous pride

and matchless self-confidence. Forrest Gump’s examples tell the world that
box of chocolates
nobody can decide anything for you. As long as you have the faith, confidence and
unremitting efforts, success will belong to you at last.
The film Forrest Gump not only is the epitome of contemporary American politics,
history, and culture, but also uses the typical American style to show the American
people's religiosity, that they hold fate and create a colorful life. Throughout the
Americans’ whole life of religious ceremony from birth, adult to marriage, death, with
its rich connotation, a long tradition, full of idealism color, and even with unique
American practical applicability, has helped the pioneers to open in early days of the
United States and make the prosperity of the United States on land, founding a
modern incomparable power. At the same time, the religious faith in daily life has
penetrated into the Americans’ actual every aspect of life, becoming the great power
which influences and brings up the national spirit.

4. The American ideas and values reflected by Forrest Gump

The film was passed to a intellectual disturbance person the description of life has
reflected every aspect of U.S.A.'s life, important incident of social political life make
and represent to these decades such as U.S.A. from one unique angle. It is obvious
that this film has reflected the American dream and optimism. The American dream is
the myth of the last century, and is the goal for a better life of many European people
coming to the United States. The United States is scarcely populated, and everywhere
of it is full of blasting rich opportunity.
Nowadays, there is still the American dream, and a large amount of Asian and
Latin American people regard the United States as the cradle of dreams. But exactly
what is the American dream? Although there are some changes, the theme has never
changed: Or become rich, or to become a sports hero, or to become a famous actor, or
have a tour of the White House and get the opportunity to meet with the President of
the United States, or through the work hard to become a multinational company
directors. Thus how to realize the dream? What do People need to do? Should people

become the world's fastest man, or should they have the highest IQ? Who can answer
these questions? After seeing the film, I believe that you will have an answer. Forrest
Gump who is unfortunately to be born with a lower IQ and the muscle problem,
usually, people always think this kind of person can't be successful in doing anything.
But, instead, this unlucky man has achieved lots of incredible success; he is a football
star, a war hero, and later a millionaire. His life is a very good example, and he has
told people in the United States that anyone can succeed, even if your IQ is extremely
low. The United States is a
upward, positive values are based.
However, in the 60s, the young people choose a kind of disillusioned road to escape
from reality, to pursue pleasure, to negate rationality and to emphasize the instinct.
The liberation of sex, the fiction of tourism brought by drugs and the stray and social
life which is away from the real social is their choice of way of life. This is also the
way of life which Jenny and her “hippies” companion have chosen in the film.
Compared with them Forrest Gump with a low IQ is completely different. Maybe his
IQ cause him not to understand the things which Jenny and the times of the youth are
doing, but he has been permeated with a kind of American peculiar optimistic upward
and positive enterprising. Even like that, the Forrest Gump’s IQ is extremely low; on
the other hand, he is cleverer than others. He visited a special hospital for veterans,
with his superb table tennis skills to delight in them. At the same time, it was reported
on TV about the news of Armstrong landing on the moon successfully. But no one
watched at the century of the human world, instead they were attracted deeply by the
exquisite skills of this moron. At that time, science was boring but sport was greater.
Forrest Gump believes that a fool do stupid things and stupid is as stupid does. This is
just the annotation to the successful life of Forrest Gump by the film director. He does
not believe that he is a fool, and he can do whatever he wants to do. This is actually
the key to do great work and meet with success in the United States. No matter you
are white or black, clever or stupid, you just have to be the best, and then a success.
Forrest Gump has taught people the key to success: you decide you are doing as a
wise man or a fool!

The American people are always thinking about the future goals, they said:
want to put humans to the moon.
land by the thirteen colonies, and now the United States is one of the world's largest
nations. The American dream is true. The Cuban people coming to the United States
become a baseball star, and every day thousands of Mexican crossed the border
looking for work and looking for a better life. As long as you make a decision, and
have your own goal, everything can be achieved.

References
[1]《阿甘正传》影评 英文中文对照版 Film review
http:rong20064047@126blogstatic2
[2]《阿甘正传》影评
http:?from=rec&pos=4&weight=33&lastweight=33&count=5