What are symbols in Forrest Gump?

Answer 1

The main motif of the Forrest Gump film is destiny. Throughout the movie, destiny continues to be brought up. "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Destiny is often thought of as being a destination, but this film focuses on the journey being the destiny. There are so many ways of traveling that are focused on in the film including walking with braces, walking and running without braces, roads, busses, flying.

The feather represents destiny, how it is seemingly random while it is blown on the wind, but also how, if the wind is controlled by God, that maybe our destinies are planned for us.

The three main characters in this film, Forrest, Jenny, and Dan, personify people's grasp on their destiny.

Forrest's leg braces represent the restrictions we place upon ourselves when we want to take control of our destiny. The purpose of them was to make Forrest's back grow straight so that he would grow up like everyone else, but all they did was make him vulnerable and crippled. It wasn't until he was able to break free from his braces that he was able to be himself, leave the road behind, and even jump the fence. After breaking free from his braces, his legs became stronger than ever before and he was thus able to have more control over his destiny. Forrest never seems to really care what happens to him, he just goes with the flow and does the right thing, a figurative feather in the wind; He takes life as it comes. Because of this attitude, he is successful and happy and has the opportunity to help others become successful and happy as well even though he isn't the brightest.

Jenny always wanted to take control of her destiny. When she was young, she prayed to God to turn her into a bird so she could fly away as if turning her into a bird were the only option she had to make her life better. She always knew exactly where she wanted to go: to San Fransisco with the hippie, on a bus from Berkley to DC. But as much as she tried to control her destiny, she is not happy. But the "wind" still affects her and she still meets up with Forrest over and over again, and he has a positive effect on her.

Dan thought he knew his destiny. He knew that he was supposed to die in a war for his country. He lived his life accordingly, so that he would die in the service. He thought destiny was a destination, a final act. He didn't realize that the "wind" was blowing and that his path through it was his destiny. He thought he had complete control over his destiny, but this attitude eventually led him to have less control. While he was denied his final act, he was also denied the use of his legs. From then on, he was confined to travel only on paved paths in a wheelchair and his destinations were chosen for him. It wasn't until he accepted his life, or his lack of control over his destiny, that he was set free of his chair and able to move around the boat in relative freedom. The more he came to emulate Forrest's grasp on life, the more success he had and he was eventually able to use his legs once again and have the freedom of control again. And like Forrest, once Dan was able to break free of his chair and use his legs again, his legs were stronger than ever before. ("Titanium alloy. Same stuff they use on the space shuttle.")

Overall, the movie speaks of when you trust in God or the wind and let Him/it take control of your life, you will have more happiness and success, and you will be able to bring happiness and success to others along the way. And it speaks of failure and how when we fail and learn from it, we can become more than we ever were before.