Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: The movie Forrest Gump is an imaginative and unique masterpiece. The                                  hero Gump’s life is such a legendary experience that it impresses us deeply. Forrest Gump is a classic movie for successful usage of symbolism. The thesis aims to systematically analyze the application of symbolism in this film from the aspects of characters, events and props, and interpret their symbolic meanings. Meanwhile, it also explores the significance of symbolism in this film. It is concluded that the usage of symbolism greatly enriches the connotation of the movie and helps to shape lively characters, enhance its artistic values and provides audiences more spaces for reflection and imagination.

Key words: Forrest Gump; symbolism; significance

摘要：电影《阿甘正传》是一部匠心独运，不同凡响的杰作。主人公阿甘一生的传奇经历，给我们留下了非常深刻的印象。电影《阿甘正传》是一部成功运用象征主义的经典影片，本文旨在研究电影中象征主义的运用，探讨电影中的人物、事件、道具各自具有的象征意义，并对其象征意义进行详尽的分析。同时探索电影中象征主义的重要意义，揭示出象征主义在电影中的运用极大地丰富了影片的内涵，有助于塑造出鲜活的人物，提升影片的艺术鉴赏性，同时给观众提供了思索及想象的空间。

关键词：《阿甘正传》；象征主义；意义

1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, and Gary Sinise. Forrest Gump was well received by critics and became a commercial success as the top grossing film in North America released that year. The film earned over $677 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The film garnered multiple awards and nominations, including Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, People's Choice Awards, and Young Artist Awards, among others. We cannot but say that is a miracle.
The story depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump, an amiable idiot with sub-normal IQ who achieves a big success. Forrest Gump is a simple Alabama man who travels across the world, sometimes meeting historical figures, influencing popular culture, and experiencing firsthand historic events of the late 20th century. Because of his extraordinary running talent, he enters university, becomes a rugby star, joins the army for service in Vietnam, wins a medal of honor, becomes a Ping-pong diplomacy ambassador, meets US presidents several times, takes up shrimp industry and finally becomes a billionaire. The film’s director Robert Zemeckis said: “In the movie, Gump is a completely decent character, always true to his world. He has no agenda and no opinion about anything except Jenny, his mother and God.”