解读《阿甘正传》中的美国文化大学论文.doc

题 目： 解读《阿甘正传》中的美国文化

Interpretation of American Culture in Forrest Gump

A paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts

The College of Foreign Languages
Zhoukou Normal University

May, 2014

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论文题目： 解读《阿甘正传》中的美国文化
作者单位： 周口师范学院外国语学院2010级本科4班
作者签名：

2014年5月

Contents

摘 要 i
Abstract ii
I. Introduction 1
II. The Film of Forrest Gump Adapted from the Novel 2
2.1 The Author and His Novel 2
2.2 An Introduction to the Film 3
III. Social and Cultural Background of Forrest Gump 3
3.1 Social Background 4
3.2 Cultural Background 5
IV. American cultures in Forrest Gump 7
4.1 Historical Culture in Forrest Gump 8
4.2 Hippie Culture in Forrest Gump 10
4.3 The Return of Traditional Culture in Forrest Gump 11
4.4 American Dream in Forrest Gump 11
V. Conclusion 12
Bibliography 14
Acknowledgements 15

摘 要

电影是了解一个国家的镜子,是反映并传播本土文化的一种主要形式。《阿甘正传》是20世纪90年代末的一种美国经典反智电影。影片旨在唤起人们对历史的反思和对美国文化的重新审视。本文通过分析《阿甘正传》创作的社会和文化背景以及电影中展现的历史文化、嬉皮士文化、传统文化和美国梦等美国文化，更好地理解美国社会文化的变迁，从而为解读电影《阿甘正传》提供一个新的角度。

关键词：《阿甘正传》；反智影片;美国社会和文化背景；美国文化
ii

Abstract

The film is a mirror to understand a country, and it is a primary form to reflect and spread the local culture. Forrest Gump is an American anti-intellectualism movie in the late 1990s. It aims to evoke reflection on history and the hearts of collection of the American culture. Through the analysis of social and historical background as well as many different American cultures in the film, such as the historical culture, hippie culture, the traditional culture, and American dream, the paper is intended to understand the changes of American cultures and provides a new perspective for interpreting the film of Forrest Gump.

Key words: Forrest Gump; anti-intellectual movie; American social and cultural background; American cultures

Interpretation of American culture in Forrest Gump

I. Introduction

Forrest Gump is a well received American movie by audiences all over the world. It states the history of the second half of 20th century in America. Forrest Gump is an American film adapted from the novel with the same title, the author of the novel is Winston Groom. In the movie, Gump, regarded as an incarnation of virtue, honesty, trustworthy, and bravery, is a very pure image. He promises his comrades to buy a shrimp boat. He finally realizes his last wish and wins a huge wealth for them. Gump is persistent, so he runs across the entire United States. Gump stands for the American traditional culture. Gump represents the concern of the main people and stands for all of the mainstream culture.
The culture of the United States is primarily Western, but is influenced by Native American, African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures. A strand of what may be described as American cultures started its formation over 10,000 years ago with the migration of Paleo-Indians from Asia, as well as from Oceania and Europe, into the region that is today the continental United States. “The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore” (Larry 67). “The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many ethnically and racially different countries throughout its history as well as differing birth and death rates among natives, settlers, and immigrants” (Xiong 39). Forrest Gump revises popular memories of the 1960s through its representations of gender and race and its visualization of postwar history.
The paper consists of 5 parts. The first part is the introduction to the film which tells a disabled man’s outstanding life. The second part is social and cultural background of Forrest Gump. The third part analyzes American cultures in Forrest Gump in terms of historical culture, hippie culture, the return of traditional culture, and American dream. The film is the best interpretation of the American cultures. Through the analysis of American cultures in the film of Forrest Gump, we will have a better understanding of the different American cultures.

II. The Film of Forrest Gump Adapted from the Novel

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic film based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field. “The story depicts several decades in the life of Gump, a naïve and slow-witted yet athletically prodigious native of Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States; more specifically, the period between Forrest's birth in 1944 and 1982” (Robert 78).
Released in the United States on July 6, 1994, Forrest Gump received critical acclaim and became a commercial success as the top grossing film in North America released that year, being the first major success for Paramount Pictures since the studio's sale to Viacom earlier in the year.
2.1 The Author and His Novel
Winston Groom was born in Washington, D.C., and was brought up in Mobile, Alabama where he took part in University Military School (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School). Groom’s earliest aspiration was to become a lawyer like his father, but he finally turned into a writer. He joined the army from 1965 to 1969, including a tour of obligation in the Vietnam War. When he returned from Vietnam, he acted as a reporter for the Washington Star. Groom retired when he was 32, and started writing his first novel Better Times than These which was come out in 1978.His next novel As Summers Die got better appreciation. In 1985, Groom move back to Mobile, Alabama where he started to write the novel Forrest Gump. The novel was published in 1986; however, it did not make Groom a famous author until it was recomposed into a film with the same title in 1994.
2.2 An Introduction to the Film
Gump is a moron whose IQ is only 75. At school in order to prevent any other students of bullying, he obeys to Jenny’s words and starts to run. He ran from the mocking from others. He ran into the football field in order to avoid being hit in high school, when the war was over Gump was regarded as a hero and was interviewed by President Johnson. In his life, he met many American eminent persons. He exposed the Watergate Affair, and he was a referee of the American table tennis team to match with Chinese. Tow music stars, Elvis and John Lennon, contacted with him and produced many famous songs. At last, Gump became a magnate in the shrimp. To mark the dead bubba, he established the Bubba and Gump Company, and gave the company’s half shares to bubba’s mother. Finally, he became a gardener.
Gump went through many affairs in different historical periods, but he still kept simple and kind. In seclusion, he missed Jenny very much. However, Jenny had fallen from grace and given up. When Jenny came back, she lived together with Gump for a long time. In one night, Jenny grabbed Gump by the hand and later slipped away at dawn. Gump was very sad, and he suddenly began to run. Many other people regarded his running as a symbol of something, and finally the behavior became a trend. When he shut down, Gump decided to come back to his hometown. On his way, he got Jenny’s letter, and he decided to visit Jenny. At Jenny’s house, he saw a child who was his son. They decided to come back to their hometown together, but Jenny died in the end. When their son came to the age of going to school, Forrest delivered his son to take the school bus and went to school. The last scene is a reiteration of his life.

III. Social and Cultural Background of Forrest Gump

The anti-intellectual sentiment of American society developed fast in 1990s. At the same time, Hollywood produced some movies that belittled the modern civilization and advocated low IQ. American media named it the anti-intellectual movie. Forrest Gump was the masterpiece of the anti-intellectual film during that time. Disadvantaged by a terrible spine condition and a low IQ, Forrest struggles through childhood in small-minded Greenbow, Alabama. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest becomes the victim of academic discrimination, which his mother fights desperately to resolve. Forrest’s mother uses special method to make Gump enroll the school. In addition to these unsettling events, Forrest finds himself tormented and isolated by neighborhood children and townspeople who seem incapable of treating him with anything but reproach and disdain.
Forrest was also an active part of many important events, including protests led by George Wallace against desegregation, and the anti-war activism led by Abbie Hoffman. It also contained the Vietnam War, the Ping Pong Diplomacy, Black Panther Party meetings, and the Watergate scandal. “It would be reasonable to say that being part of such important events and would make him vulnerable to the social forces of the times, yet his lack of critical thought as a result of low intelligence seemed to indicate the complete opposite– he remained wholly oblivious and ignorant of their significance” (Pobert 59).
3.1 Social Background
Forrest Gump is not about any single historical event, in fact, Forrest is present at almost all of the historical events that take place during his lifetime. Obviously Forrest was not present at all of the events he is in the movie in real life, he was just added into some of the scenes. It would be possible for him to have witnessed all of the events he does, but he would have had to be extremely lucky.
Forrest was a member of the University of Alabama football team because of his running ability. During the period, he was on the team and helping them win all their games. At that time, Paul Bryant was the coach, and finally became the coach with the most wins in college football history. While there was not anyone who had the same running ability as Forrest actually on the team, the coach would have recruited anyone who did have that kind of ability.
Forrest is also a member of a ping-pong team after he recovers from being shot in the Vietnam War. Forrest is able to visit China because of his talent. While a team of ping pong players were the first Americans allowed into china since 1949, there were some military players on the trip. The invitation to China reopened communication between them and the United States, and led to the end of the trade embargo as well as the first presidential trip to China.
Forest is also present in many other historical situations. As a child he starts the dance moves that contribute to Elvis’ fame. When he gets older he is in the Vietnam War, and he rescues a large group of people. For his actions, he is honored at the White House, where he moons the president. Forrest is involved in commercial events in history. While running across the country he is asked by a man to help him come up with an idea for a shirt, he accidentally creates the smiley face shirt. Also during his run he unintentionally comes up with the bumper sticker.
With some of his money, Forrest invests in some kind of Fruit Company which happens to be Apple Computers. Gump also creates the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to fulfill his promise to Bubba, one of the soldiers Forrest served with in the war. The company did not exist at the time the movie was made, but in 1996 the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was built as the first theme restaurant inspired by a film, and now has at least 28 branch offices.
While it would be possible for a single person to be present at all of these events, it is extremely unlikely that anyone. Therefore, there is not true in some part of the films, but the most of the facts are correct. “The differences between the history in the film and in real life are mostly small details and are changes made to incorporate Forrest into all of the events” (Liu 58).
3.2 Cultural Background
American cultures manifest themselves in many ways, including conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles, American cultures have a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. The flexibility of U.S. culture and its highly symbolic nature lead some researchers to categorize American cultures as a mythic identity; others view it as American exception.
It also includes elements that evolved from indigenous Americans, and other ethnic cultures—most prominently the culture of African Americans, cultures from Latin America, and Asian American culture. Many American cultural elements, especially from popular culture, have been spread across the globe through modern mass media. The United States has traditionally been thought of as a melting pot, ever since the 1960s, the country trends are towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl instead. Due to the extent of American cultures, there are many integrated but unique social subcultures within the United States. The cultural affiliations of an individual in the United States may have commonly depended on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as religious background, occupation, and ethnic group membership.
Some people said that science and religion are the two roots in the American society. Science is American material backbone. Religion is the root of American spirit. In the past, generally, it was the older and the ill person, or the people who was in trouble that prayed to the God. But now, many well-educated people, the rich, or the young men also pray to the God for satisfying their spirit. Americans regard success they have achieved as the gift God gives.
Today, organized religion has not relatively influenced more than 200 years ago in the everyday lives of most Americans. Churches played a role in the establishment of Prohibition in 1920, where for 14 years it was against the law to make or drink alcohol. Churches have played an active role in promoting the civil rights of minorities and have had a powerful impact on electing local and national leaders who support their causes.
Religious groups also operate many elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and nursing homes. They provide aid for refugees, the poor, the elderly, orphans, and other persons in need. Social religious groups play an acti