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How Does Forrest Gump Relate To Sociology

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The movie Forrest Gump depicts the life of a man with below-average intelligence and the struggles that not only does he have to face but even the people around him. Similarly, the ideals presented in the movie closely relate to the themes of Culture and Society as well as American and National Identity. Culture and Identity is related to individual or collective expressions, cultural conflicts, reform, extension of civil rights, gender roles, and education. In the movie, characters, both primary and supporting characters, face issues closely parallel to those ideals. Bubba, for example, was born into a family who worked in the “shrimping business” as slaves for a family who adored seafood. However, he was drafted for the war and ultimately …show more content…

Forrest Gump demonstrates these concepts by unknowingly fighting against the social norm. He, for example, shows up to the Vietnam war protest not knowing it was a protest and claiming that he had to wait in line everywhere. Furthermore, he tried to protect Jenny and those around him every chance he gets. Whenever Jenny was in trouble, where it be a group of guys hitting on her or she seemed distressed in the car, Forrest was there to fight them off. In addition, during the surprise attack in Vietnam, Forrest carried every soldier he could find back to safety even though he had his own goal. Moreover, he makes a binding agreement with Bubba, a person of a different race, to work with him in the shrimping business. Furthermore, Forrest is victim of a good investment in Apple Computers, allowing him to thrive off of the economic boom. He also unintentionally inspired most of America with his transcontinental run, which gave other people a purpose in life. Forrest tended to follow liberal ideology, like fighting for the rights of women and transcending racial restrictions, without even knowing. On the other hand, there are no tangible antagonists in the film. However, societal beliefs and life tend to create problems for Forrest. For instance, in the beginning, it is revealed that Forrest has a below-average IQ of 75, showing that he’s not very smart and cannot be accepted into school due to the societal belief that people with low IQs are unable to be helped. Furthermore, Forrest deals with the abstract “life” taking away from his ability to lead a normal life. For example, he was born with the inability to walk properly, resulting in incessant bullying. Throughout his life, he constantly was left alone by the person he only ever truly loved. Near the end of the film, he began to lose those who are closest to him: Bubba, his mother, and Jenny, who were some of the most important people to

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