Response to Political Issues Reflected in Forrest Gump

Response to Political Issues Reflected in Forrest Gump

“Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get.”(Robert) This is the classic lines in a famous and excellent film called Forrest Gump and is also an actual description of the lifespan of the male protagonist in this movie. The film lasting for 142 minutes manifests the extraordinary life of an ordinary person named Forrest Gump (Robert). Gump looks not smart, but he is, in fact, a man with a concentrative mind, and he can concentrate on only one thing. In that case, he can easily reach his goal and perform better in different fields than other people. Consequently, Gump is recruited by the university, becomes a successful entrepreneur, runs well and so on. At the same time when Gump performs well in his life, he coincidently passes on many political issues. In fact, Forrest Gump successfully transforms the political sensibilities in that the sensible political events including the Assassination of Kennedy, Watergate Affair and the Vietnam War are manifested from the point of view of an ordinary person, which implies the truth and at the same time avoid the sensibility via amusing and casual coincidences.

In the first place, Forrest Gump keeps the sensitivity of the Assassination of Kennedy away by Gump’s finding of the photos of Marilyn Monroe, President Kennedy and Kenndy’s younger brother in the own bathroom of Kennedy. As is known that the Assassination of Kennedy is a riddle. Besides, it is reported that some of the sensitive data related to the death of Kennedy are not published. The public is saying that the Assassination of President Kennedy is the individual action of Lee Harvey Oswald, who is killed later. The death of the famous star Monroe is a mystery. The photos of Monroe and also Kennedy found by Gump in Kennedy’s personal restroom suggest that the passing of the two people both hide something unknown. The film does not definitely point out, and it uses a hint to avoid the political sensibilities.

The film avoids the sensitivity of the Vietnam War from the point of view of Gump, who is an ordinary soldier, which makes the truth of America’s participating in the Vietnam comes into the view of people in a more assuasive way. It is well-known that the Vietnam War is a civil war at the very beginning. However, the government involves in the war with the saying of protecting the Southeastern Asia, which in fact broads the war. Gump, from his point of view, sees the injury of the soldiers during the war, which in fact implies that the war not only interferes the civil affairs of Vietnam but also brings significant casualties to the American military forces. The injuries and deaths are not broadly exhibited in this film, which successfully stays away from the sensibility of the political intention of the government’s decision.

The sensitivity of the political event Watergate Affair is also avoided by the indirect way of Gump’s complaint to the staff of Watergate Complex. After the visit to China, Gump is invited to an interview with President Nixon, and he is arranged to live in the modern hotel called Watergate Complex. During the night, Gump calls the staff and complains that the people in the opposite building are looking for the fuse, and the light of flashlight disturbs his sleep. It is easily seen that this case indicates that Gump finds out the truth of Watergate Affair, and he denounces it. In the whole process of Gump’s finding, there is no obvious and direct clues to point out the Watergate Affair.

Based on the above illustrations, it is quite apparent that Forrest Gump has the power to transform the political sensibility. Through the whole film, it does not directly or positively points out any political events. It just implies the issues by describing a simple man who coincidently passes by these developments. In that way, the indirect reflection skillfully avoids the political sensibility.