FORREST GUMP
Because I first encountered “Forrest Gump” as a movie a couple of years ago, the book version of Forrest Gump was quite new. As I was reading the story, I could match the narration with the scenes I remembered from the screen, and could compare the image I saw now and then. Although general traits of Forrest was not that different – low IQ, football player, etc – the atmosphere I could grasp were quite different. The image that popped up in my head while I was reading the book was a big, strong guy who does not seem feeble at all at first glance. Because ‘Forrest Gump’ in the movie is a bit more fragile and naïve, Forest’s adventure feels a bit more touching and dramatic.
As I read through the story, a question arose: what is the definition of ‘stupid’? Can it really be determined from a simple IQ test; do those two-to-three digits numbers really determine our intelligence? Although Forrest’s IQ is 75 – well below average for sure – he achieved so much more than those people who live their lives without much meaning endowed in them. Yes, Forest is stupid if we look from a very calculated point of view. However, in real world – where things much more complex than simple numbers and calculation exist – Forest is never stupid. He is a genius, and a true hero.
As some of the classmates have already mentioned, the narrative style of the novel does not contain much emotion. Instead, the author [or, Forrest himself] relates the story objectively, or to put it more bluntly, dryly. However, perhaps because I’ve seen the movie, I still could get the scene that the author tries to relate: a heartwarming story of a mentally challenged man who learns about the world as he goes through hardships. To add on, I liked Winston Grump’s use of slangs and spelling mistakes, for it made the story much more lively and realistic.
LIFE IS A BOX OF CHOCOLATE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHICH ONE YOU’RE GONNA GET.
In this case, the grammar and misspellings aren't "mistakes" so much as "vernacular." I agree it's fun to read, and really delivers Gump's voice. I wish I'd read the book before seeing the movie, but the book is so different that it makes it a very different experience. A lot of stories in the book didn't make into on film, and thank god for that, as some are REALLY bizarre and unfitting. You'll get to that eventually. I also don't find Gump to be unemotional. He's very black and white about things, and once in a while - especially in the film - his direct approach really spells it out clearly without hesitation.
답글삭제Good post.