English Studies 12 - Inquiry Project
How do the varying aspects of one’s identity influence their actions, perception of the world, and the way others perceive them?
Forest Gump
The movie takes place in the 1980s and was published in 1994. It describes the life of Forest Gump, an innocent and kind-hearted boy from Alabama who has a crooked spine and low IQ and deals with unkindness and rejection throughout his life. Despite this, he lives a full and rewarding life, starting a shrimp business to honor his best friend, fighting in the army, extensively playing ping pong, and running for over 3 years straight, Forest Gump experienced a lot through life. He always had a unique approach to situations and was very determined and hard-working.
Forest and Identity
1
How do the different aspects of Forest's identity influence his actions?
Forest Gump is innocent and kind-hearted, so after his best friend from the army passed away, it only made sense to him to honor his dream and build a shrimp business. His determined and hardworking nature has led him to become extremely committed to goals once he has set his mind to them, such as playing ping pong and running for over 3 years.
2
How does his identity influence his view of the world?
Forest Gump sees the world more simply than others, sometimes having tunnel vision and continuously working towards a specific goal without any plan to stop. He pursues his interests and feels compassion towards others. He also has a difficult time understanding the complexities of relationships and the world, so when lieutenant Dan Taylor became mad at Forest for saving his life or when Jenny, his childhood best friend left him for some time, he didn't understand that it wasn't his fault and that both Dan and Jenny needed some time away from him and others for personal reasons.
3
How does his identity influence the way others perceive him?
Forest could be perceived as naïve by others, finding it difficult to read social clues at times and being unfamiliar with many aspects of the world. He could also be perceived as very hardworking and honorable considering his participation in the Vietnam war, building a shrimp business to honor his friend, and following a strong moral compass. He would be perceived as funny, goal-oriented and kind-hearted by the people who know him best.