For being such an intense and intriguing movie, it initially does not match up that the poster for the film, Forrest Gump, would be so simplistic in its style and appearance, for there is only so much text and artwork added to the poster. However, if the artist tried to visually represent the plot and every theme, meaning, and character in Forrest Gump, the poster would stretch so far and wide and be so distracting that it could give away the entire story. Anyone who has seen this film knows that the plot is very scattered and busy throughout the few years of his life that Forrest discusses, therefore the poster does not seem to represent the many events that occur during the movie. However, the apparent effortlessness of the artwork says a lot about the film and its backstory than a tell-all poster would have. Through analysis of visual elements like eye-line, spacing, orientation, contrast, and more, the artist of the movie poster for Forrest Gump proved that the initial simplicity of the poster represents the more prominent plot theme of perseverance, but with deeper examination, the poster tells viewers of a more intense theme regarding the experiences of Americans around the time of the Vietnam War. 

At first glance of this poster, the image of Forrest Gump sitting on the bench correlates with the main part of the storyline, giving a very familiar image to the times in the film where the viewers learn the most about his life. The quote on the poster reads, "The world will never be the same once you've seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump." Seeing Forrest on the bench is the sole place where the viewer sees the world through his eyes. This quote associated with the bench imagery insinuates that it is an important place for analysis and examination during the movie; the scenes filmed and the lines spoken where the viewer can see Forrest on the bench are important ones of which one should take note. Forrest's most notable quote, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get," was spoken showing him sitting on the bench, and it also pairs with the common theme of coincidence that occurs throughout Forrest's life. Throughout the film, the screenwriters dramatized the amount of times where Forrest coincidentally had something good or beneficial happen to him right after something bad had happened. However, this always led to one of the most prevalent themes of perseverance throughout the film. Anytime that Forrest experienced some sort of issue or setback, or even anything advantageous, he never gave up trying to reach his initial goal. In other words, he continued to keep his head up throughout the duration of his story: an image clearly represented in the poster's artwork. The shadow behind him indicates that he had an important past worth speaking about, but the fact that the artist decided to have Forrest looking up into clear, white space is symbolic of his experience with persevering through trying or good times in his life; he is able to see clearly that he can accomplish any set goal he gives himself or someone else gives him. 

The white space in the poster gives clarity and focus to the text and image on the poster. White is a color generally associated with a clean slate or with the idea of purity, giving a perfect reason to place the image of Forrest gazing up on the bench on a white background. Forrest is looking up to the goodness and purity that can come of his life, while in an innocent place like a park bench where he simply tells his life story. The purity and cleanliness of this image describes the character within Forrest. However, the white color is also joined by red and blue   together making the colors of the American flag, a prominent symbol throughout the film. The colors of the American flag represent the strength and will of the country and take up a big place in every American's hearts. These colors are important in this story particularly because most of the innocent plot in this story is overwhelmed by the dark stories told about Forrest's experiences a as an American fighting in the Vietnam War and the effects that came of it in his life afterwards. A fair portion of the movie is centered around Forrest's time fighting, letting Americans see the life of a soldier and what challenges they face from a more personal and real standpoint, a common plan of propaganda by moviemakers to manipulate Americans into getting fired up about the safety and well-being of their country. The movie also focuses on Forrest's time in America afterwards, like rising to fame and being presented to the President and falling in love with the girl of his dreams   all aspects that could fall under the concept of the American Dream, an idea important to those living and trying to thrive at that time. The screenwriters of this film tried to hit home to American citizens and have them really connect with the characters and events of the plot, allowing the film to become important and relevant in our country. Not only did Americans persevere to win the war and achieve goals as a country during the time that the film is set, but those experiences that they shared needed to be noted as important so that they would not be forgotten, or Americans would not think that their lives during and after the war were not being represented by the media and film. 

The contrast between the pure and American images and the image of Forrest in such a notable location on the poster represent the two most prominent themes of the film. Being represented in purely horizontal lines throughout the artwork produces the clear aesthetic that the themes are equal and on the same level. However, noticing that Forrest is the only shape in the poster design that is facing horizontally emits a different meaning   particularly that his life and his experiences are worth noticing because they stand out, but are still easily representative of the times and hardships that Americans faced in their time of trouble surrounding the Vietnam War. 

