美国文化在《阿甘正传》中的体现.docx

1、美国文化在阿甘正传中的体现I. IntroductionWinston Groom is a famous American writer. In 1986, he writes Forrest Gump, however, it doesnt make Groom famous until it is adapted into a film with the same name in 1994. It is the film that drives the novel to the best-seller position and it is sold 1.7million copies w

2、orldwide. It makes Winston Grooms name be associated with the award-winning film Forrest Gump. The movie gains over 657 million worldwide, gathering six Academy Awards, such as best picture, best director, and best actor, etc. It is the actor Tom Hanks that brings Forrest Gump to eternal life, and F

3、orrest Gumps assertion that “life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you are going to get” (Groom, 2010:20) becomes part of the American language. Whats more, Forrest Gump is so popular that Winston Groom has to write two guidebooks to help people understand the novel. Forrest Gump phen

4、omenon begins to spring up in the country, Forrest Gump hats and T-shirts are popular in the country. In the enthusiasm of the film, the fact that Groom is a famous fiction and non-fiction writer is somewhat overshadowed. About Forrest Gump, Xue Yuemin and Guo Jians The Charms of Forrest Gump explor

5、es that in what way Forrest Gump goes along with so many peoples mind and wins the admiration of the public from esthetic value; Ji Tingting and Yin Lus The American Dream out of Forrest Gump (2011) illustrates the American Dream by analyzing the qualities and characteristics of Gump; Zhu Meihong an

6、d Liu Lihongs Analysis of Black Humor in the Movie Forrest Gump From Rhetorical Perspective list a series of rhetorical methods such as simile, metaphor, irony and hyperbole and it also explains how the black humor affects with a lot of examples; Liu Yuxia, Li Meng and Zhou Mins Cultural Contradicti

7、onA Brief Analysis of Jenny: Symbol of a Cultural Rebellion in Forrest Gump(2012); Zu Wanhuis The Analysis of Religious Culture in Forrest Gump(2012); Yang Lis The Masculine Ideology in Forrest Gump (2010) illustrates the cultural phenomenon that women are predominated by men by using the examples o

8、f Mrs. Forrest and Jenny; Chen Jings On American Culture From Forrest Gump(2010) States the history that happens in the background of the second half 20th century in America to arouse a deep thinking for the past and the American Dream which is cherished by every American people, from this people ca

9、n see the footstep of the development of American culture and the core of American culture; Wu Wentings The Lonely Runner(2009) refers to all aspects of Americas politics, economics, culture and history, it hints a lot of philosophy of life; Yan Huis Forrest Gump and American Dream points out the re

10、source of American Dream and its effect on people including Jenny, Forrest Gump and Lieutenant Dan, it also expresses the call of American Dream; Li Nans A Breeze from the Chaos An Analysis of the Film Forrest Gump (2012) reflects the negative poits of the popular culture and the positive points of

11、the traditional culture; Liu Yangs Looking For the lost hero(2004) tells about a story about a common character whose name is Forrest Gump, although he is common, he has played and experienced a significant role in the events of that time. He is a typical American hero and still has an influence to

12、todays Americans; Li Pengs The Return of Social Value in Forrest Gump(2009) criticizes the popular culture and tries to heal the schism of social value and praised a return of value which bases on the traditional and religious conservational value; Zhang Jings The Analysis of American Culture in the

13、 Anti-intellectual Movie Forrest Gump calls for the return of American traditional culture and shows the spirit of love, purity and perseverance which are the best explanations to American Dream, it also embodies the change of American culture and the liquidity and expansionary of American culture;

14、Li Hongmeis On the Reflection of American culture and society in Forrest Gump analyzes three aspects including the holy fool phenomenon, Forrest Gump philosophy and the symbolism of Forrest Gump.It is well known that every country has its own culture. Edward T.Hall says that “Culture hides much more

15、 than it reveals and strangely enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants” (Datesman, 2006:1). This essay intends to expose American culture in Forrest Gump. America is an immigrant country who brings different languages and different cultures to the Unites States, so

16、America is a nation of cultural diversity. Forrest Gump is an inclusive and extensive novel, which has many implications that need readers to taste. It is like a box of assorted chocolates, as long as the readers have the intentions to taste, everyone will have a different understanding of it. In th

17、e novel there are so many deep meanings hidden behind the simple events that have taken place in those years that one can get a fully understanding by reading it once only. It is worthy of repeated reading. Some deeper meanings can be understood by reading over and over again. It tells a life experi

18、ence of an intellectual impaired man: Forrest Gump, whose IQ is only 75, much lower than the normal, his successful experience of becoming wealthy through his hard work and luck. Besides, the events that happen in the novel are all typical and significant ones in those times, such as the civil right

19、s movement, the Vietnam War, anti-war movement, anti-racialism and the turning of American presidents, they form the centre of American culture. This thesis aims to analyze the reflection of American culture in Forrest Gump from three aspects: religious culture, popular culture, traditional culture.

20、 II. Reflection of Religious Culture in Forrest GumpReligious culture has an irreplaceable position in American life. Most of Americans believe in Christian. God has a very important position in their heart. They use “oh, my God” to express surprise and use “God bless you” to express blessing. They

21、also print “In God We Trust” in the American dollar to express national belief and even in Presidential Inaugural Address, the president needs to put his hands in Biblical. In Forrest Gump, religious culture also has an important part in the three main characters: Forrest Gump, Jenny and Lieutenant

22、Dan. This part intends to analyze the reflection of religious culture in Gump, the impact of religious culture to Jenny and the attitude change towards religious culture of Lieutenant Dan. 2.1 The Similarity of Forrest Gump and JesusIn some ways, Forrest Gump and Jesus are alike. First, their family

23、 backgrounds are alike. Forrest Gump comes from a single-parent family and is reared by his mother while his father never occurs in the novel. Similarly, Jesus, according to Biblical, is born in the primitive lodgings of an animal stable. His mother Mary is said to be pregnancy when she is a virgin.

24、 She feels very strange until one day an angel comes and tells her that this child is made by the power of Holy Spirit and he is to save the world. She must give birth to this baby and name him Jesus, so Jesus is the son of God. He has not the real father in the human world.Second, they all run in t

25、he way. Forrest Gump is unlucky when he is a child. There is something wrong with his legs and he has to use the braces to walk and Jenny is his only friend. Every time when Forrest Gump is bullied by other boys, Jenny always tells him to run, just run. With Jennys encouragement, he runs away from b

26、ullies, runs to high school, runs to the football team of university and runs out of dangers in the Vietnam War. It seems that he is running all his life and never stops. Similarly, Jesus devotes all his life to preaching and hasnt a stable profession, he and his followers are running and preaching

27、everywhere and never stop.Third, they have the similar life ending. Forrest Gumps son has the same name with him, little Forrest Gumps first time to take the school bus to school almost reoccurs the scene of the beginning of the novel. It is easily to make people realize the scene of Forrest Gumps f

28、irst time to take the school bus. More dramatically, the driver is exactly the same woman. These details may point out that Forrest Gumps life is continuing in this way. Similarly, Jesus is continuing his life in the heaven. Their life endings coincide with each other.2.2 The Symbol of an Angel of J

29、ennyJenny is as pure as an angel. The most impressive plot of Jenny is the first meeting on the school bus with Forrest Gump. When other children all look down upon him as he is an “idiot” and dont want to sit together with him, it is Jenny that helps him. Forrest Gump says: I, Idont recall what I g

30、ot for my first Christmas and I dont know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But, I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voicein the world. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. She was like an angel. (ibid: 268) This is the kind and nave girl who never looks down upon F

31、orrest Gump because he is an idiot. It is the very beginning of their friendship and the love between them. Whats more, no one can forget Jennys pious pray in the corn field. “Make me a bird, so I can fly far, far, far from here” (ibid: 142). She is Forrest Gumps angel. When Gump is bullied and teas

32、ed by other boys in their childhood, Jenny always shouts anxiously that run, Forrest, run! Even before Forrest is sent to Vietnam, Jenny says: “listen, you promise me something, ok? Just if youre ever in trouble, dont try to be brave, you just run, ok? Just run away” (ibid: 204). From a little girl

33、to a lady, Jenny keeps on telling Forrest to bear this in mind and it really works. With this faith, he runs away from the bully; with this faith, he becomes a famous football player in America; with this faith, he rescues his comrade-in-arms from battlefield; with this faith, he becomes the runner who is followed by a lot