Gump Gump

Gump as allegory. How is this story and this character an allegory?



"Why are you running Forrest Gump?"
"Just because I want to."


A great changes, surely all the significant upheavals are depicted in the movie Forrest gump within one person's lifetime. The American society went through lots of highs and lows in late 20th century. People could never settle down nor enjoy peaceful life. The Second World War, Civil Rights Movements, Assasinations of presidents, and many more events should be terrifying the people in that era.

When people ask Forrest Gump about the reason he is running all around the United States, he just answers shortly to them: he is running just because he wants to. How stupid is that? He does not have any reason for any particular actions but merely follows whtat he is told to do. He runs away from the battle field because Jenny told him to do so, and starts the Shrimp business to keep the stupid promise that he made with Bubba. But guess what happens to him: everything just goes perfect. He is the one who does not care about anything around, but who just follows his own path, doing what he should do. Probably Forrest Gump was the model citizen in the late 20th century of America.

But is his life desirable? I 100% do not want to follow the path of Gump. He may be the one whom the society needs to easily control people; however, he is never the adventurer. Looking only one woman in his whole life whom he just gets to marry before she dies, never having a dream to achieve, I doubt that his life can be viewed as successful. He is just the lucky one.

The stupid boy who just folllows what he is told to do so, Gump, is exactly what the society wants in those disastrous world. However, I do not want to be the one of these people who will become the future casualties, the victims of the world.