What American spirit does Forrest Gump represent in "Forrest Gump"? And what trend of thought did Jenny reflect in the United States at that time?

The American film "Forrest Gump" is an anti-intellectual film. It not only describes a very sad love story, but also a legendary inspirational story. It is a reflection on American culture and culture from beginning to end. A comprehensive display of the American spirit. Although Forrest Gump is a mentally retarded social figure, he, his woman and two close friends all reflect the traditional American spiritual essence to varying degrees and from different aspects. These are all reflections of the beat generation in the United States after World War II. The spiritual call and criticism of the new culture required the American people at that time to work hard to reshape the American outlook on life and values. The specific analysis of the American spirit reflected in this film is as follows:

1. Tenacious fighting spirit: In the film, although Forrest Gump is a fool that ordinary people think, he has transcendence that ordinary people do not have. A sense of reality and a unique national personality. His mentally retarded mind retains his simplicity and innocence, and inadvertently better demonstrates the "American Dream" and American spirit. Due to his own brain problems and leg diseases, Forrest Gump has experienced difficulties that ordinary people cannot bear. For example, as a disabled person, Forrest Gump could not go to a normal school. However, his mother successfully fought for equal education for him. educational opportunities and rights. Later, supported by the belief that everyone is equal, he got rid of many physical obstacles, finally succeeded in breaking through himself, and gained confidence in life. Such storylines actually tell us: Ordinary people in the United States share such values, that is to say, everyone is equal and of equal value, and only through unremitting struggle can success be achieved. This is because the United States is a country of immigrants that tolerates all nationalities, races, and beliefs. They all come to the United States to pursue their dreams. However, this movie tells people that as long as you keep working hard, no matter what kind of person you are, Even a mentally retarded person like Forrest Gump can succeed.

2. An honest and kind outlook on life, a faithful outlook on love and friendship: It should be said that love is one of the representative beliefs of the mainstream values ????of American society. In this film, we can experience different kinds of love through different characters, namely the love between Forrest Gump and his mother's family, the love between Forrest Gump and Babu's friends, and the love between Forrest Gump and Jenny. These three different kinds of love respectively represent the interpretation of love by ordinary American people and are also a manifestation of the American spirit. As far as the family love between Forrest Gump and his mother is concerned, Forrest Gump was abandoned by his father since he was a child because he was not a healthy person. However, his mother is positive and optimistic, not afraid of the injustice and hardship of life, and still believes that Forrest Gump and Just like normal people, send him to a normal school and so on. Forrest Gump inherited and inherited his mother's strong and enterprising character, and gradually developed a kind, honest, and positive character; Forrest Gump's two close friends during the Vietnam War, Lieutenant Babu and Dan, fully embodied the American spirit The love of friends. Babu is a black soldier, but A-Gump has no racial discrimination. He becomes friends with Babu and works hard to save him at the critical moment. Although Babu sacrifices in the end, after the war, he and another comrade-in-arms The leader, Lieutenant Dan, co-founded the shrimp fishing company, which is the best interpretation of the love between friends; in the film, although Forrest Gump is mentally retarded, he also has ordinary feelings and longs for love, and he falls in love innocently The self-degenerate Jenny, no matter how Jenny abuses herself, his love for Jenny is sincere and eternal. This kind of love embodies Americans’ dedication to love and expresses everyone’s right to love and be loved.

3. Noble personal moral character and cultivation: As a small social figure with low intelligence, Forrest Gump has the same personal moral character and cultivation as ordinary people or even surpasses ordinary people. When he joined the army, he performed outstandingly in the army with his pure inner world, and won the recognition and appreciation of his superiors and peers. This reflects the American spirit's emphasis on integrity. Once integrity is trampled, you will face a crisis of personal integrity. For example, President Nixon's famous "Watergate Incident" served as a wake-up call to the American people. The film also expresses the pragmatic and enterprising spirit of Americans, and after gaining success and a large amount of wealth, Americans show a good spirit that is keen on charity and willing to give. In the process of acquiring wealth, they can work frugally and maintain a consumption mentality of not wasting money. However, once they achieve success and have a lot of wealth, they will be keen on charity. This is a common spiritual sustenance for Americans and can bring them spiritual satisfaction. Therefore, in the film, Forrest Gump became a billionaire through unremitting efforts, but he retained the good qualities of hard work and frugality. He retired back home and became a gardener, and donated most of his wealth to society. and people. This reflects the reality that American life attaches great importance to charity, and is a personal quality expression of the American spirit.

4. Unique normal mentality: Forrest Gump became an unfortunate mentally retarded person due to brain damage, but he was lucky. His mental retardation made him lucky to become an ordinary person with no desires and desires. Whether he successfully ran despite suffering from leg problems, or performed well in the war, whether he was a ping-pong diplomat, or finally became a billionaire, he had a freedom and normalcy that ordinary people could not achieve.

It was Forrest Gump's simple mind that gave him many opportunities for success. He was able to put aside all distracting thoughts and focus on his own goals. He valued the process and did not insist on results. This kind of normality of letting nature take its course. On the contrary, it brought endless success to Forrest Gump. After his success, he was still able to maintain a normal mind and retire at home, becoming an unknown gardener. He regarded his wealth as something external and donated most of it to those in need. institution, which is also a full expression of the American spirit.

5. The return of traditional values: This film is from the perspective of Forrest Gump, a mentally retarded man, and reflects the decline of counterculture and people's desire and confidence in the reshaping of the traditional American spirit. Forrest Gump is a representative figure of traditional American moral values. It can be said that except for his mental retardation, he reflects people's desire for the return of traditional moral values ??in other aspects. The American generation after World War II is considered a beat generation. They have experienced various social injustices and hardships, but they have lost their direction and belief in life. This film inspired people to re-examine and believe in the traditional American spirit, that is, people should be upright, honest, loyal to friendship and love, etc., and enthusiastic about the concept of wealth in philanthropy. People should adopt a weakened attitude towards racial discrimination, advocate equality for all, so that people can regain the courage and confidence in life after suffering from war, and reshape the American spirit of loving life and loving and being loved.

And Jenny is another representative of this traumatic era. She was born into an unfortunate family, and her life as an adult was not smooth either. She was homeless and relied on unspeakable odd jobs to survive. Jenny naturally joins the hippie group who question American values ??and pursues what she believes is the meaning of life. Unfortunately, she was not found in the end, but she was so scarred that she once wanted to give up her life. She knows that her childhood sweetheart Forrest has been watching and missing her selflessly, but she has always resisted the happiness that the idiotic and traditional Forrest can bring her. It wasn't until her life was about to run out that she realized that A-Gump was her best destination. Obviously the movie tends to be negative towards her, she has wasted her life, and only the American spirit represented by Forrest Gump can save her.