Abstract

    Forrest Gump is a classic inspirational movie shot in the year of 1994 in the United States based on the novel of Winston Groom. Through a narration about the life experiences of a mentally handicapped person, the film, Forrest Gump, reflects the different aspects of American life and reviews the important events in the social and political life in America from 1950’s to 1980’s, when is a time the American society has experienced a lot of social changes. Since the Forrest Gump is published, the film was praised by the public, especially for the young generations. Also, the protagonist Forrest becomes famous for his image of a runner. In fact, the Forrest’s running has become an important spirit in Forrest’s blood, showing his pursuit and love of life.
  The whole thesis is divided into three parts. First of all, the background information of the movie will be introduced; secondly, the symbolic meaning of Forrest’s running image will be analyzed through the right of freedom, the realization of self-value, persistence and the revival of traditional values; thirdly, some different symbolic meanings of running in the movie will also be discussed. The paper, in the end, concludes that the running in the movie symbolizes the right of freedom, persistence, and the revival of traditional values in the American society, and in such way the author wants to inspire people to move forward unremittingly. Through the study and research of the symbolic meaning of running in Forrest Gump, people can have a deeper understanding about why Forrest runs, and what spirits support his running, as well as the values and spirits of American society reflected in  Forrest’s running. 

Key words: symbolic meaning; American spirits; values; running

摘  要

《阿甘正传》摄于1994年，是根据温斯顿•格鲁姆的小说所改编的一部经典的励志电影.通过对一个智障患者——阿甘的人生经历，该部电影讲述了美国生活的各个方面，并从一个独特的角度回顾了对美国1950年到1980年以来的社会政治生活的重要事件，在这个阶段，美国经历了许许多多的社会变革。从《阿甘正传》上映以来，该片在大众，尤其是青少年当中引起了不错的反响，并且阿甘也以其奔跑者的形象而被众人所熟知。事实上，阿甘的奔跑已经成为阿甘血液中一种很重要的精神，展现了他对生活的追求和热爱。
  整篇论文分为三个部分。首先，是背景信息的介绍；第二，文章从自由的权力、自我价值的实现，坚持不懈以及传统价值观的复苏分析了阿甘奔跑的象征意义；第三章讨论了《阿甘正传》电影中其他的奔跑的象征意义。最后，文章得出结论：电影中的奔跑象征着自由的权力、坚持不懈的精神和对美国传统社会价值观的重释，并且作者想要借此激励人们坚持不懈，奋勇向前。通过对《阿甘正传》中奔跑的象征意义的学习和研究，人们可以更深入的了解阿甘为什么奔跑，是什么精神支持阿甘一直奔跑，以及美国社会的价值观与美国精神在阿甘奔跑过程中的体现。

关键词：象征意义；美国精神；价值观；奔跑