Historical Events and People

Forrest's story is played out against a backdrop of famous people and historical events. Nothing in Forrest's life is normal. Even when he does extremely normal things like learn to play ping-pong, Forrest garners great praise and attention. He works hard at whatever he does, and this persistence keeps him on track.

Since the film plays out against a backdrop of modern history, viewers who have been affected by these same events and people can intimately understand Forrest and Jenny. Also, Forrest becomes more unique as he meets multiple Presidents and becomes wealthy simply because he kept a promise to a friend.

The passage of time is evident because of the existence of these historical events and people in the film. Although we see Forrest grow and change, he always remains young and naïve; however, we see that time has passed both from his...