This paper focuses on the American history of the last century and its historiography. I will first investigate the theoretical background of historiography and then connect it with the concept of unreliable narration. I will then answer the question of whether historiography and unreliable narration correlate or influence each other while examining what the events of the past have demonstrated so far in this regard. In the practical section, I will establish a story and discourse analysis by focusing on the historiography presented in the movie Forrest Gump. I will choose particular scenes and compare them with America’s real historical events. After this, I will concentrate on the concept of unreliability in the movie. The central question is whether Forrest Gump is an unreliable narrator and why the audience might see him as such. The film’s framing, use of narrative techniques and cinematography are central as well and might contribute to answering this question. I will describe how the scenes are produced and to what extend this production influences the spectator. In a final step, I will summarise the results and place them in a sociocultural context.
"My momma always said, life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. (Forrest Gump 1994: 00:03:37-00:03:46)"
This famous sentence, articulated by Forrest Gump’s mother, sets the theme for the entire movie. While watching the film, the audience never knows what comes next in Forrest’s life, such as what he will achieve or who he will meet. The film is an ongoing surprise for the spectator.
The film Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. The story is based on the 1986 novel by Winston Groom and stars, amongst others, Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise. The good-natured Forrest Gump, who is slightly handicapped and has an IQ of only 75, lives through the second half of the 20th century and experiences first-hand many major moments in American history. He is accompanied by his great love from his youth, Jenny, whom he always loses sight of because their lives develop separately from each other. However, they finally find each other and get married, and Jenny gives birth to their son, who is also called Forrest.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Theoretical Part: Historiography and Unreliable Narration
2.1. What Is Historiography?
2.2. What Is Unreliable Narration?
2.3. How Do Historiography and Unreliable Narration Correlate?
3. Practical Part: Story and Discourse Analysis
3.1. American History Presented in Forrest Gump (1994)
3.2. Unreliable Narration in Forrest Gump and the Use of Narrative Techniques
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper explores the intersection of American historiography and the concept of unreliable narration as demonstrated in the 1994 film Forrest Gump. It investigates how historical events are framed through the subjective experience of the protagonist and seeks to determine whether Forrest Gump functions as an unreliable narrator based on his extraordinary and frequent involvement in significant 20th-century American events.
- Theoretical definitions of historiography and its connection to narrative theory.
- The concept of the unreliable narrator within film and literary studies.
- Analysis of specific historical events portrayed in Forrest Gump.
- Examination of cinematic techniques (framing, cinematography, editing) that contribute to the protagonist's unreliability.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. American History Presented in Forrest Gump (1994)
Looking closely at the film’s development and taking into account the time in which the movie is set (approximately 1940 to 1980), it can be pointed out that Forrest Gump is a quick run-through of American history in the second half of the 20th century, which introduces the main character to major historical events. These historical references are important to the plot of the film, and they also establish the film as both a cultural icon and a cinematic commentary. The film is not historical—it is more of a drama or melodrama—but it illustrates Forrest’s close connection with real historical characters and his participation in historical events. The film does not distort the real events but contributes to the public understanding of the issues it presents. In a succession of surprising coincidences, Forrest is a participant in many of the important events of that time: he casually invents Elvis Presley’s dance steps, watches Governor Wallace attempting to hinder black students from entering the university, serves in the Vietnam War, gives John Lennon the idea for his famous song ‘Imagine’, unknowingly reveals the Watergate scandal, shakes hands with three US Presidents—Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon—and faces the until-then unknown hepatitis illness (cf. Forrest Gump 1994).
One scene in the movie focuses on the hippie movement in the 1960s. The protests of 1968 involved a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly identified by popular rebellions against military bureaucratic elites, who responded with intensified political repression (cf. Birke et al 2009: 17). In the film Forrest Gump, Forrest finds Jenny associating herself with hippie culture at an anti-Vietnam War rally. During the mid-1960s, a hippie subculture started to emerge among the youth population. Their main belief was their disagreement with the war in Vietnam. These hippies created their own social groups, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution and did drugs such as marijuana and ‘magic mushrooms’ to explore other states of consciousness. In the movie, Forrest Gump is about to give a
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the paper, introducing the film Forrest Gump and setting the central research goal of examining the protagonist as an unreliable narrator in the context of American history.
2. Theoretical Part: Historiography and Unreliable Narration: This section defines key theoretical concepts, specifically historiography as a narrative construct and the criteria for identifying an unreliable narrator.
3. Practical Part: Story and Discourse Analysis: This chapter applies previously defined theories to specific movie scenes, demonstrating how the protagonist's involvement in historical milestones and the use of cinematic techniques challenge the reliability of his narration.
4. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, reiterating that the implausible sequence of events reinforces the protagonist’s unreliability while acknowledging the film’s effectiveness as a popular historiographical tool.
Keywords
Forrest Gump, Historiography, Unreliable Narration, Narrative Theory, Cinematic Techniques, American History, Robert Zemeckis, Subjectivity, Framing, Post-editing, Hippie Movement, Ping-pong Diplomacy, Narrative Discourse, Cultural Icon, Film Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the relationship between American historiography and the concept of unreliable narration as depicted in the film Forrest Gump.
Which theoretical fields are primarily explored?
The research primarily draws upon narratology, film studies, and historiographical theory.
What is the main research question?
The core question is whether Forrest Gump can be characterized as an unreliable narrator and how the film's narrative and cinematographic techniques support this interpretation.
Which methodology is applied to the film?
The author uses a story and discourse analysis, focusing on selected scenes and the cinematic integration of the protagonist into real historical events.
What is addressed in the practical analysis?
The practical section analyzes how the protagonist’s interaction with historical events, such as the hippie protests or ping-pong diplomacy, creates a sense of implausibility that informs the perspective of the viewer.
Which terms are most relevant to the paper's argument?
Key terms include historiography, unreliable narrator, homodiegetic narration, cinematic framing, and historical revisionism.
How does the film manipulate scenes to establish its narrative?
The producers utilized post-editing techniques, inserting the actor Tom Hanks into original historical footage to place the character at significant historical moments.
How does the author view the film's historiographical value?
The author concludes that while the film presents a simplified and perhaps unreliable version of history, it remains a highly effective and engaging method for introducing historical topics to broader audiences.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2019, American Historiography and Unreliable Narration in the Film "Forrest Gump" (1994), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1338658
