Question: In regards to the Black Panthers meeting, why were Jenny and her boyfriend (at the time) hanging around with them? Also, why didn't they (the Black Panthers at the meeting) step in when she was getting hit and abused by him?
Answer: Jenny and her boyfriend were radical, anti-government activists, whose goals were aligned with the Panthers'. As to why they didn't intervene, Forrest reacted before anyone else could, and sadly, people tend to look away when they see a woman being abused.
Question: During the part of the film where Forrest sits on a bus bench and tells various strangers his life story, what year is it supposed to be?
Answer: It's April 1981. He had received Jenny's letter where she says she's watching the news about the Reagan assassination attempt, which was March 30, 1981.
Answer: 1981.
Question: Why did Jenny's grandmother take Jenny into her home, but not the sisters?
Answer: Some possibilities are: either the sisters' situations were discovered before Jenny's, and they are already there (or living with someone else), or the sisters are older and moved out on their own. We never hear of the sisters living at the house during the film so it's hard to pinpoint the actual situations with them.
Question: How did Forrest change clothes on his cross-country but didn't take any with him?
Answer: He buys them, and/or people, such as those running with him, give him new clothes to replace his old ones. He's got plenty of money, no reason he can't have a debit or credit card on him to cover his expenses (like he says, he stops to eat, sleep, and so forth).
Question: Was anything actually wrong with Forrest mentally? Is is possible that he was "normal" but had just been sheltered, hadn't socialized with any kids at a normal age, etc.? In addition to the IQ test from the school, Forrest's mother apparently hid things from him or lied. She did not tell him what "vacation" really means.
Answer: Gump is stated, in the book at least (can't honestly remember about the film) to have an IQ of around 75. While IQ ranges are somewhat subjective, this would usually be considered to indicate a mild or borderline mental deficiency. It also certainly wouldn't have helped that he's been relatively sheltered.
Answer: 8 minutes into the movie, the principle shows his mother a chart of IQ's and points to Gump's IQ being 75.
I know, but I was considering how his mother has sheltered him. His low score could be partially due to her not always giving him accurate information. For example, she told him that "vacation" means "you go somewhere, and you don't ever come back." Maybe his test results were low because of her sheltering; at least partially.
Question: Unless he's carrying a lot of money how does Forrest get those different clothes while he's running those several years?
Answer: Or he bought them cheap from discount stores or charity shops, or they were given to him. There are lots of possibilities and this is in a movie deliberately loaded with coincidence and spectacle. It's speculation to go into more detail.
Answer: Forrest would not need to carry large amounts of cash with him, which would be dangerous. His business partner, Dan Taylor, could wire or transfer money to a bank wherever Forrest would be that would cover any expenses. Forrest could also be using a credit card, or a better option, a debit card that could have a small balance that Dan would add to as needed. If it was ever stolen, having a small amount on balance would protect Forest.
Question: Three questions here: Why does Jenny insist Forrest touch her chest, why does she go all the way with him then leave, and wouldn't this be considered a crime on her part as he's only got an IQ of 75?
Answer: Jenny loves Forrest and cares about him deeply. She knows he's in love with her, so she gives him that "gift" before leaving. They were both consenting adults, so unless there was a third party who insisted Forrest couldn't give consent there wouldn't be a legal issue.
Answer: As for the last part of your question, it's usually viewed that a person with a mental handicap can still legally give consent for sex so long as they display knowledge and voluntariness when it comes to the encounter. (Aka, they have a basic understanding what is happening, know the positives and negatives, and want to proceed.) Given that Forrest has been shown to be pretty high functioning (he's quirky and slow, but can do a lot of the things other people can, and has shown a lot of fields of talent), and would obviously consent because he loves her, Jenny shouldn't be in any legal trouble. If Forrest was more severely handicapped or showed a bigger lack of awareness, then that might be an issue. I actually read up about this years ago because I'm in the autism spectrum, and a previous (non-disabled) sexual partner I had expressed their concern about this very topic.
Question: If Jenny dies of AIDS or Hepatitis C then does her son Forrest have it?
Answer: In the sequel novel 'Gump and Company, ' it's revealed that Jenny died of Hepatitis C. The odds of passing that to a child are about 1 in 25, so Forrest, Jr, is likely in the clear (and it's possible she contracted it after he was born). Https://www.hepatitis.va.gov/hcv/patient/faqs/index.asp.
Question: Would the army really take a guy with a low I.Q., much less one with a cleft lip?
Answer: The Army doesn't issue IQ tests upon enlistment. Given that Forrest had a college degree, and passed basic training with flying colors because of his amazing ability to follow orders, he would be allowed in just fine. And Bubba didn't have a cleft lip, just big gums.
Answer: I can't even guess why you think a cleft lip would disallow someone from being admitted into the Army, or anything/anywhere else for that matter.
Because an unrepaired cleft lip is a disqualifying disability. You can't join the US military if you have one.
Question: Why does Forrest's mother say "This is not for children's eyes" when they were watching Elvis perform 'Hound Dog'?
Answer: Many adults in the 50's, like Forrest's mom, found Elvis' gyrations and hip movements to be too sexual and inappropriate for children (especially teens) to watch. In fact, when Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show for the third time, they only filmed him from the waist up to prevent an outcry from these types of parents. Many also found Rock 'N' Roll music in general to be inappropriate for children to listen to.
Question: Why does the Army bus driver yell at Forrest when he introduces himself?
Answer: Yelling at new recruits is common since they must instill in them that they are now in a hierarchy where they are at the bottom. When people first enter the service, most bring with them their concepts that progress is accomplished through working with, versus for, others, and the kids lack discipline. The military isn't a democratic institution - it is authoritarian, and that isn't a structure most kids understand. New recruits are constantly yelled at to break their previous conditioning, and that begins with the first encounters, like with the bus driver.
Answer: Yelling is how things are done in the Army.
Question: How old was Jenny when she died?
Answer: 36. (4 months shy of 37). Her date of birth was in July 1945 and she died in March 1982 according to her headstone shown in the film.
Question: When Forrest finishes putting the rifle together, why does the drill sergeant tell him to take it apart and reassemble it?
Answer: Most likely to keep practising, this isn't something that would be done once, no matter how good they were. However, the Drill Sergeant did not tell him to reassemble the rifle again, he said "disassemble your weapon and continue", so they could have been given instructions on what to do after assembling the rifle, such as take it apart and clean the pieces.
Question: I don't understand why Jenny left Forrest's house after having sex with him and saying that she loved him. Could someone please offer thoughts on this?
Answer: It seems more like Jenny realises that she is a screw up and doesn't deserve the love of Forrest. She left to get herself together in order to be worthy of him.
Answer: Forrest had mental issues. Jenny slept with him because she thought she loved him (and she realises later that she did), but didn't think that Forrest loved her back because he wasn't capable of understanding that kind of love (and she realises later that he did). She then remembered that her dad sexually abused her when she didn't understand what was going on, and she felt like she was behaving the way her dad did (remember Forrest's look of fear and discomfort?). Jenny then felt guilty and ran away because she didn't know how to deal with the guilt.
Answer: People who were abused often have issues with trust, and they can have difficulty forming healthy, stable relationships. They are often drawn to problematic relationships - for example, Jenny's boyfriend, Wesley - because these situations are familiar to them.
Answer: In the past, (perceived) "dumb" students were more likely to be placed into vocational rather than academic programs because it was assumed they had limited ability and would not "amount to much" in life (make much of themselves). Therefore, they could at least be trained to perform something almost anyone could do with little or no training. Once someone is trained how to re-tread tires, for example, he should be able to repeatedly do the same thing everyday for years and be "productive." A variation of re-treading tires was learning how to make "birdhouses and ashtrays" - non-essential products in society that some people still might want to buy.
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More recently, the trend has been to "mainstream" such students - keep them in classes with their peers.
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