Running is a simple task that everyone has the ability to do. In Forrest Gump, running is more than just an action. Its symbolism means much more to Forrest’s life as much as it does for the transition of the plot. Forrest uses running to overcome the adversities that he faces throughout his early life. Forrest meets a girl on his bus and they become friends early on in the storyline. Forrest and Jenny both use this tactic of running and it works very well for Forrest but Jenny is unable to overcome the problems that she has to face. She has to go through some very times in the early part of her life. Each time Forrest runs during the film it is a mental transformational moment for his character. Viewers may have thought about this symbolism before but many realized its significance after they were able to watch it over again and saw that running was not used to represent significant physical change in Forrest but helped him overcome mental obstacles that he faced. Running helps progress his story and the plot as the audience follows his stories along. 

From the early scenes of the movie, it becomes apparent that running will be a defining trait in Forrest’s character. One of the challenges that Forrest faces in his life is a physical impairment that forces him to walk in braces throughout his childhood. This obstacle is defeated in the scene when Forrest literally breaks out of his leg braces and runs away from a gang of bullies. It is running that also carries Forrest to college. He is able to use running to be an elite football player but also gain a football scholarship. After college he enrolls in the Army to fight in Vietnam and Jenny gives him the advice to “just run” if he gets in trouble like she did when he got bullied in school as a child. Forrest takes this advice to heart and his final experience in the army is him running many of his comrades to safety which was a heroic act that saves them from a jungle bombing and leads to him getting the Medal of Honor from the President. Every achievement that Forrest earns is credited to his running ability. 

The running symbol reaches its peak when Forrest’s life is at its emotional peak. Following his death of his mother and one of his best friends Bubba and the denial of his marriage proposal to Jenny, Forrest embarks on a literal cross country run.  On this run his gains international acclaim and many followers. The exact reason for his run is never stated but the audience can infer that it is meant for him to recover from the death of his mother and friend Bubba. When asked why he ran across the country he responded with, “Just Because.” This showed extreme mental strength in Forrest. Even though he was unable to fully admit to why he was running it still showed his mental strength he had to overcome this unfortunate event If he doesn’t embark on this journey we would not see him finally come to terms with the reality of the situation. 

These are some of the main examples of Forrest running in the movie. Every time Forrest runs, he gets away from a dangerous or unfortunate situation and ends up turning it into earning success and glory for himself. He doesn't realize himself what he is doing or why he is doing it, but it works out every time. This metaphor symbolizes the insecurity of people living at that time. People were living their lives without knowing what was happening around them and why it is happening. They had no active influence on the events that surrounded them. But running away is not always a solution. Sometimes people have to step up and take action themselves. Even though Forrest always ran away from unfortunate situations, he also took action. Many people wouldn’t do this but Forrest uses running to his advantage and for his friend’s/family benefit. For instance, after he ran away from the bombings of the Vietcong he returns and rescues many of his fellow soldiers from more attacks. This is the reason why he turned out being successful in life. Forrest took the advice to run very seriously because he did have limited intelligence and when Jenny tells him to do something he is most likely going to do it for her out of his love for her.

When the audience views Forrest running and doing great things with his life they also get excited and want him to keep a successful life. That is what running teaches us about his personality. He runs to get out of danger but also uses running to help others. This movie was a very good summary of major events that occurred with Americans in the late 20th century and it created a strong connection between Forrest and the audience. The comparison between Forrest sitting on the bus bench and telling these stories of his greatness and his running shows how much he has changed as he aged. He used to run from all of his problems and now he is able to sit down and reflect on the reasons why he ran and the outcome that it brought upon him. That is the basis of the movie and goes to show that if you show any type of ambition early on in life you will be much more successful in the future. This movie tried to get a point across that you do not need to be the smartest person to achieve greatness but have the courage to do so. It is ironic how age and experience changed him and he lived a full life with much happiness in the end.

Forrest was so successful in his life because of his ability to do what he was told and also his will to complete everything to its fullest. He wanted to please everyone that asked him to do a task and running fulfilled a lot of those tasks. Running is the metaphor for Forrest and his life and it made him do great things in times of despair in America.
