英语专业毕业论文-解读[阿甘正传]中的美国文化

题目：解读《阿甘正传》中的美国文化

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学院：外国语学院

专业：英语

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2014年5月

Interpretation of American Culture in

Forrest Gump

A paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the

degree of Bachelor of Arts

The College of Foreign Languages

Zhoukou Normal University

May, 2014

Contents

摘要 ...................................................................................................................................................... i Abstract . ..............................................................................................................................................ii I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 II. The Film of Forrest Gump Adapted from the Novel ......................................... 2

2.1 The Author and His Novel.................................................................................................... 2

2.2 An Introduction to the Film . ................................................................................................. 2 III. Social and Cultural Background of Forrest Gump .......................................... 3

3.1 Social Background ................................................................................................................. 4

3.2 Cultural Background ............................................................................................................. 5 IV . American cultures in Forrest Gump . .......................................................................... 6

4.1 Historical Culture in Forrest Gump ................................................................................... 8

4.2 Hippie Culture in Forrest Gump ....................................................................................... 10

4.3 The Return of Traditional Culture in Forrest Gump . .................................................... 10

4.4 American Dream in Forrest Gump ................................................................................... 10 V . Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 11 Bibliography . .................................................................................................................................. 13 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 14

摘要

电影是了解一个国家的镜子, 是反映并传播本土文化的一种主要形式。《阿甘正传》是20世纪90年代末的一种美国经典反智电影。影片旨在唤起人们对历史的反思和对美国文化的重新审视。本文通过分析《阿甘正传》创作的社会和文化背景以及电影中展现的历史文化、嬉皮士文化、传统文化和美国梦等美国文化，更好地理解美国社会文化的变迁，从而为解读电影《阿甘正传》提供一个新的角度。

关键词：《阿甘正传》；反智影片; 美国社会和文化背景；美国文化

Abstract

The film is a mirror to understand a country, and it is a primary form to reflect and spread the local culture. Forrest Gump is an American anti-intellectualism movie in the late 1990s. It aims to evoke reflection on history and the hearts of collection of the American culture. Through the analysis of social and historical background as well as many different American cultures in the film, such as the historical culture, hippie culture, the traditional culture, and American dream, the paper is intended to understand the changes of American cultures and provides a new perspective for interpreting the film of Forrest Gump.

Key words: Forrest Gump; anti-intellectual movie; American social and cultural background; American cultures

Interpretation of American culture in Forrest Gump

I. Introduction

Forrest Gump is a well received American movie by audiences all over the world. It states the history of the second half of 20th century in America. Forrest Gump is an American film adapted from the novel with the same title, the author of the novel is Winston Groom. In the movie, Gump, regarded as an incarnation of virtue, honesty, trustworthy, and bravery, is a very pure image. He promises his comrades to buy a shrimp boat. He finally realizes his last wish and wins a huge wealth for them. Gump is persistent, so he runs across the entire United States. Gump stands for the American traditional culture. Gump represents the concern of the main people and stands for all of the mainstream culture.

The culture of the United States is primarily Western, but is influenced by Native American, African, Asian, Polynesian, and Latin American cultures. A strand of what may be described as American cultures started its formation over 10,000 years ago with the migration of Paleo-Indians from Asia, as well as from Oceania and Europe, into the region that is today the continental United States. ―The United States of America has its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore‖ (Larry

67). ―The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale migration from many ethnically and racially different countries throughout its history as well as differing birth and death rates among natives, settlers, and i mmigrants‖ (Xiong 39). Forrest Gump revises popular memories of the 1960s through its representations of gender and race and its visualization of postwar history.

The paper consists of 5 parts. The first part is the introduction to the film which tells a disabled man’s outstanding life. The second part is social and cultural background of Forrest Gump . The third part analyzes American cultures in Forrest Gump in terms of historical culture, hippie culture, the return of traditional culture, and American dream. The film is the best interpretation of the American cultures. Through the analysis of American cultures in the film of Forrest Gump, we will have a better understanding of the different American cultures.

II. The Film of Forrest Gump Adapted from the Novel

Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic film based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field. ―The story depicts several decades in the life of Gump, a naïve and slow-witted yet athletically prodigious native of Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States; more specifically, the period between Forrest's birth in 1944 and 1982‖ (Robert 78).

Released in the United States on July 6, 1994, Forrest Gump received critical acclaim and became a commercial success as the top grossing film in North America released that year, being the first major success for Paramount Pictures since the studio's sale to Viacom earlier in the year.

2.1 The Author and His Novel

Winston Groom was born in Washington, D.C., and was brought up in Mobile, Alabama where he took part in University Military School (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School). Groom’s earliest aspiration was to become a lawyer like his father, but he finally turned into a writer. He joined the army from 1965 to 1969, including a tour of obligation in the Vietnam War. When he returned from Vietnam, he acted as a reporter for the Washington Star. Groom retired when he was 32, and started writing his first novel Better Times than These which was come out in 1978.His next novel As Summers Die got better appreciation. In 1985, Groom move back to Mobile, Alabama where he started to write the novel Forrest Gump . The novel was published in 1986; however, it did not make Groom a famous author until it was recomposed into a film with the same title in 1994.

2.2 An Introduction to the Film

Gump is a moron whose IQ is only 75. At school in order to prevent any other students of bullying, he obeys to Jenny ’s words and starts to run. He ran from the mocking from others. He ran into the football field in order to avoid being hit in high school, when the war was over Gump was regarded as a hero and was interviewed by President Johnson. In his life,