美国文化在《阿甘正传》中的体现.docx

美国文化在《阿甘正传》中的体现.docx

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美国文化在《阿甘正传》中的体现

I.Introduction

WinstonGroomisafamousAmericanwriter.In1986,hewritesForrestGump,however,itdoesn’tmakeGroomfamousuntilitisadaptedintoafilmwiththesamenamein1994.Itisthefilmthatdrivesthenoveltothebest-sellerpositionanditissold1.7millioncopiesworldwide.ItmakesWinstonGroom’snamebeassociatedwiththeaward-winningfilmForrestGump.Themoviegainsover＄657millionworldwide,gatheringsixAcademyAwards,suchasbestpicture,bestdirector,andbestactor,etc.ItistheactorTomHanksthatbringsForrestGumptoeternallife,andForrestGump’sassertionthat“lifeislikeaboxofchocolate,youneverknowwhatyouaregoingtoget”（Groom,2010:

20）becomespartoftheAmericanlanguage.What’smore,ForrestGumpissopopularthatWinstonGroomhastowritetwoguidebookstohelppeopleunderstandthenovel.ForrestGumpphenomenonbeginstospringupinthecountry,ForrestGumphatsandT-shirtsarepopularinthecountry.Intheenthusiasmofthefilm,thefactthatGroomisafamousfictionandnon-fictionwriterissomewhatovershadowed.

AboutForrestGump,XueYueminandGuoJian’sTheCharmsofForrestGumpexploresthatinwhatwayForrestGumpgoesalongwithsomanypeople’smindandwinstheadmirationofthepublicfromestheticvalue;JiTingtingandYinLu’sTheAmericanDreamoutofForrestGump（2011）illustratestheAmericanDreambyanalyzingthequalitiesandcharacteristicsofGump;ZhuMeihongandLiuLihong’sAnalysisofBlackHumorintheMovieForrestGumpFromRhetoricalPerspectivelistaseriesofrhetoricalmethodssuchassimile,metaphor,ironyandhyperboleanditalsoexplainshowtheblackhumoraffectswithalotofexamples;LiuYuxia,LiMengandZhouMin’sCulturalContradiction—ABriefAnalysisofJenny:

SymbolofaCulturalRebellioninForrestGump（2012）;ZuWanhui’sTheAnalysisofReligiousCultureinForrestGump（2012）;YangLi’sTheMasculineIdeologyinForrestGump（2010）illustratestheculturalphenomenonthatwomenarepredominatedbymenbyusingtheexamplesofMrs.ForrestandJenny;ChenJing’sOnAmericanCultureFromForrestGump（2010）Statesthehistorythathappensinthebackgroundofthesecondhalf20thcenturyinAmericatoarouseadeepthinkingforthepastandtheAmericanDreamwhichischerishedbyeveryAmericanpeople,fromthispeoplecanseethefootstepofthedevelopmentofAmericancultureandthecoreofAmericanculture;WuWenting’sTheLonelyRunner（2009）referstoallaspectsofAmerica’spolitics,economics,cultureandhistory,ithintsalotofphilosophyoflife;YanHui’sForrestGumpandAmericanDreampointsouttheresourceofAmericanDreamanditseffectonpeopleincludingJenny,ForrestGumpandLieutenantDan,italsoexpressesthecallofAmericanDream;LiNan’sABreezefromtheChaos—AnAnalysisoftheFilmForrestGump（2012）reflectsthenegativepoitsofthepopularcultureandthepositivepointsofthetraditionalculture;LiuYang’sLookingForthelosthero（2004）tellsaboutastoryaboutacommoncharacterwhosenameisForrestGump,althoughheiscommon,hehasplayedandexperiencedasignificantroleintheeventsofthattime.HeisatypicalAmericanheroandstillhasaninfluencetotoday’sAmericans;LiPeng’sTheReturnofSocialValueinForrestGump（2009）criticizesthepopularcultureandtriestohealtheschismofsocialvalueandpraisedareturnofvaluewhichbasesonthetraditionalandreligiousconservationalvalue;ZhangJing’sTheAnalysisofAmericanCultureintheAnti-intellectualMovieForrestGumpcallsforthereturnofAmericantraditionalcultureandshowsthespiritoflove,purityandperseverancewhicharethebestexplanationstoAmericanDream,italsoembodiesthechangeofAmericancultureandtheliquidityandexpansionaryofAmericanculture;LiHongmei’sOntheReflectionofAmericancultureandsocietyinForrestGumpanalyzesthreeaspectsincludingtheholyfoolphenomenon,ForrestGumpphilosophyandthesymbolismofForrestGump.

Itiswellknownthateverycountryhasitsownculture.EdwardT.Hallsaysthat“Culturehidesmuchmorethanitrevealsandstrangelyenoughwhatithides,ithidesmosteffectivelyfromitsownparticipants”（Datesman,2006:

1）.ThisessayintendstoexposeAmericancultureinForrestGump.AmericaisanimmigrantcountrywhobringsdifferentlanguagesanddifferentculturestotheUnitesStates,soAmericaisanationofculturaldiversity.ForrestGumpisaninclusiveandextensivenovel,whichhasmanyimplicationsthatneedreaderstotaste.Itislikeaboxofassortedchocolates,aslongasthereadershavetheintentionstotaste,everyonewillhaveadifferentunderstandingofit.Inthenoveltherearesomanydeepmeaningshiddenbehindthesimpleeventsthathavetakenplaceinthoseyearsthatonecangetafullyunderstandingbyreadingitonceonly.Itisworthyofrepeatedreading.Somedeepermeaningscanbeunderstoodbyreadingoverandoveragain.Ittellsalifeexperienceofanintellectualimpairedman:

ForrestGump,whoseIQisonly75,muchlowerthanthenormal,hissuccessfulexperienceofbecomingwealthythroughhishardworkandluck.Besides,theeventsthathappeninthenovelarealltypicalandsignificantonesinthosetimes,suchasthecivilrightsmovement,theVietnamWar,anti-warmovement,anti-racialismandtheturningofAmericanpresidents,theyformthecentreofAmericanculture.ThisthesisaimstoanalyzethereflectionofAmericancultureinForrestGumpfromthreeaspects:

religiousculture,popularculture,traditionalculture.

II.ReflectionofReligiousCultureinForrestGump

ReligiousculturehasanirreplaceablepositioninAmericanlife.MostofAmericansbelieveinChristian.Godhasaveryimportantpositionintheirheart.Theyuse“oh,myGod”toexpresssurpriseanduse“Godblessyou”toexpressblessing.Theyalsoprint“InGodWeTrust”intheAmericandollartoexpressnationalbeliefandeveninPresidentialInauguralAddress,thepresidentneedstoputhishandsinBiblical.InForrestGump,religiousculturealsohasanimportantpartinthethreemaincharacters:

ForrestGump,JennyandLieutenantDan.ThispartintendstoanalyzethereflectionofreligiouscultureinGump,theimpactofreligiousculturetoJennyandtheattitudechangetowardsreligiouscultureofLieutenantDan.

2.1TheSimilarityofForrestGumpandJesus

Insomeways,ForrestGumpandJesusarealike.First,theirfamilybackgroundsarealike.ForrestGumpcomesfromasingle-parentfamilyandisrearedbyhismotherwhilehisfatherneveroccursinthenovel.Similarly,Jesus,accordingtoBiblical,isbornintheprimitivelodgingsofananimalstable.HismotherMaryissaidtobepregnancywhensheisavirgin.ShefeelsverystrangeuntilonedayanangelcomesandtellsherthatthischildismadebythepowerofHolySpiritandheistosavetheworld.ShemustgivebirthtothisbabyandnamehimJesus,soJesusisthesonofGod.Hehasnottherealfatherinthehumanworld.

Second,theyallrunintheway.ForrestGumpisunluckywhenheisachild.ThereissomethingwrongwithhislegsandhehastousethebracestowalkandJennyishisonlyfriend.EverytimewhenForrestGumpisbulliedbyotherboys,Jennyalwaystellshimtorun,justrun.WithJenny’sencouragement,herunsawayfrombullies,runstohighschool,runstothefootballteamofuniversityandrunsoutofdangersintheVietnamWar.Itseemsthatheisrunningallhislifeandneverstops.Similarly,Jesusdevotesallhislifetopreachingandhasn’tastableprofession,heandhisfollowersarerunningandpreachingeverywhereandneverstop.

Third,theyhavethesimilarlifeending.ForrestGump’ssonhasthesamenamewithhim,littleForrestGump’sfirsttimetotaketheschoolbustoschoolalmostreoccursthesceneofthebeginningofthenovel.ItiseasilytomakepeoplerealizethesceneofForrestGump’sfirsttimetotaketheschoolbus.Moredramatically,thedriverisexactlythesamewoman.ThesedetailsmaypointoutthatForrestGump’slifeiscontinuinginthisway.Similarly,Jesusiscontinuinghislifeintheheaven.Theirlifeendingscoincidewitheachother.

2.2TheSymbolofanAngelofJenny

Jennyisaspureasanangel.ThemostimpressiveplotofJennyisthefirstmeetingontheschoolbuswithForrestGump.Whenotherchildrenalllookdownuponhimasheisan“idiot”anddon’twanttosittogetherwithhim,itisJennythathelpshim.ForrestGumpsays:

I,I…don’trecallwhatIgotformyfirstChristmasandIdon’tknowwhenIwentonmyfirstoutdoorpicnic.But,IdorememberthefirsttimeIheardthesweetestvoice…intheworld.Ihadneverseenanythingsobeautifulinmylife.Shewaslikeanangel.（ibid:

268）

ThisisthekindandnaïvegirlwhoneverlooksdownuponForrestGumpbecauseheisanidiot.Itistheverybeginningoftheirfriendshipandthelovebetweenthem.What’smore,noonecanforgetJenny’spiousprayinthecornfield.“Makemeabird,soIcanflyfar,far,farfromhere”（ibid:

142）.

SheisForrestGump’sangel.WhenGumpisbulliedandteasedbyotherboysintheirchildhood,Jennyalwaysshoutsanxiouslythatrun,Forrest,run!

EvenbeforeForrestissenttoVietnam,Jennysays:

“listen,youpromisemesomething,ok?

Justifyou’reeverintrouble,don’ttrytobebrave,youjustrun,ok?

Justrunaway”（ibid:

204）.Fromalittlegirltoalady,JennykeepsontellingForresttobearthisinmindanditreallyworks.Withthisfaith,herunsawayfromthebully;withthisfaith,hebecomesafamousfootballplayerinAmerica;withthisfaith,herescueshiscomrade-in-armsfrombattlefield;withthisfaith,hebecomestherunnerwhoisfollowedbyalot