As a boy in a chance meeting, Forrest's leg braces inspire Elvis' famous hip-gyrations. As a collegian, Forrest becomes an All-American playing football for the Crimson Tide's Paul "Bear" Bryant, and gets to meet the President of the United States to whom he confesses, "I have to pee" after indulging in too many free Dr. Peppers.
Gump, then, heads off to Vietnam where he saves many of his friends and wins the Medal of Honor. Upon his return home, he founds a successful shrimp fishing fleet in honor of his fallen buddy (Bubba), plays ping-pong for peace versus Red China, and single-handedly starts the running craze while simultaneously and mistakenly creating the smiley face t-shirt and an infamous bumper sticker slogan.
It seems as if whatever Forrest touches just works out for him - - except for Jenny, his very best friend - - his only friend.
Having met on the bus on his first day of school, Forrest and Jenny become "like peas and carrots", always together. Jenny listens to Forrest and Forrest listens to Jenny. And while Forrest lives an innocent early life, Jenny has her innocence stolen by her own father.
In a telling scene, Forrest rushes up the dirt drive to Jenny's paint-thin shack of a house to see why she missed school. He finds her out back and when he begins talking, Jenny shushes him, admonishing, "Daddy's sleeping." But Daddy has awakened and comes screaming out the back door as Jenny and Forrest sprint into a cornfield to hide. "Pray with me, Forrest, pray" Jenny begs. And, kneeling between the stalks, we hear the pleadings of a precious child saying, "Dear God, make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here."
Jenny doesn't become a bird, but the police do take her from her widowed father and she goes to live with her grandma right down the road from Forrest. However, it is obvious that great damage has been done upon Forrest's Jenny (now played by Robin Wright) as her life becomes marked by shallow & short-lived relationships, abusive men, drugs, and elusive longings.
That evil which was, through no fault of hers, forced upon her, takes root in her in the form of a silent and self-destructive fury of bitterness and hatred. Hatred for the man who did this to her. Hatred of herself, for who knows why. So she runs. Throughout the film, Jenny runs from place to place, from one man to another, and from discontent to despair. Always returning to her simple friend, Forrest, who loves her without condition. And, still, the words uttered most frequently in the story are his words, these words, as he narrates their relationship, "And then ... she was gone."
Life goes on for Forrest, as he continues to find himself in the iconic events of our nation. But his heart is only for his mama and Jenny. Then, Mama dies. And Forrest takes up a silent residence in his childhood home, taking care of life's mundane, yet necessary tasks. All the while, all alone. Then, in the midst of this subdued solitude -- well, just watch & listen:
Hanks, in the voice of Gump, pronounces a profound dictum on the effects of crimes and hurts, wounds and wrongs, losses and evils - - inside us. And, in doing so, he walks us to the Word of God where, in Hebrews 12:15, He says:
"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
I can't say, for sure, why God linked these two concepts - - missing God's grace and bitterness taking root inside us - - but I think I've learned that when I embrace the unjust wounds inflicted on me from others, I'm unable to grasp the undeserved kindness (that's what grace is) from God. It's a challenge.
There are never enough rocks to batter down all our wounds, but we do have a God who wants to take them far, far away.
This is Challenge Pointe.
Semper Fidelis.
Doug
