英語專業(yè)畢業(yè)論文-解讀《阿甘正傳》中的美國文化

1、 題 目： 解讀阿甘正傳中的美國文化 姓 名： 學 號： 學 院： 外國語學院 專 業(yè)： 英 語 年級班級： 指導教師： 2014年5月Interpretation of American Culture in Forrest GumpA paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of ArtsThe College of Foreign Languages Zhoukou Normal UniversityMay, 2014Contents摘 要iAbstractiiI. Intr

2、oduction1II. The Film of Forrest Gump Adapted from the Novel22.1 The Author and His Novel22.2 An Introduction to the Film3III. Social and Cultural Background of Forrest Gump33.1 Social Background43.2 Cultural Background5IV. American cultures in Forrest Gump74.1 Historical Culture in Forrest Gump84.2

3、 Hippie Culture in Forrest Gump104.3 The Return of Traditional Culture in Forrest Gump114.4 American Dream in Forrest Gump11V. Conclusion12Bibliography14Acknowledgements15摘 要電影是了解一個國家的鏡子,是反映并傳播本土文化的一種主要形式。阿甘正傳是20世紀90年代末的一種美國經(jīng)典反智電影。影片旨在喚起人們對歷史的反思和對美國文化的重新審視。本文通過分析阿甘正傳創(chuàng)作的社會和文化背景以及電影中展現(xiàn)的歷史文化、嬉皮士文化、傳統(tǒng)文化

4、和美國夢等美國文化，更好地理解美國社會文化的變遷，從而為解讀電影阿甘正傳提供一個新的角度。關(guān)鍵詞：阿甘正傳；反智影片;美國社會和文化背景；美國文化iiAbstractThe 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

5、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 unders

6、tand 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 culturesInterpretation of American culture in Forrest GumpI. Introduction Forrest Gump is

7、 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

8、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

9、 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 starte

10、d 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, soc

11、ial 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, settl

12、ers, and immigrants” (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 mans outstanding life. The

13、 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 a

14、nalysis 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 NovelForrest Gump is a 1994 American epic romantic film based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was d

15、irected 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 nave and slow-witted yet athletically prodigious native of Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the la

16、tter half of the 20th century in the United States; more specifically, the period between Forrests 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 relea

17、sed that year, being the first major success for Paramount Pictures since the studios sale to Viacom earlier in the year.2.1 The Author and His NovelWinston 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-Wr

18、ight Preparatory School). Grooms 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. Gr

19、oom 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; how

20、ever, 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 FilmGump is a moron whose IQ is only 75. At school in order to prevent any other students of bullying, he obeys to Jennys words and starts to run. He ran from the mo

21、cking 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, he met many American eminent persons. He exposed the Watergate Affair, and he was a referee of the Am

22、erican table tennis team to match with Chinese. Tow music stars, Elvis and John Lennon, contacted with him and produced many famous songs. At last, Gump became a magnate in the shrimp. To mark the dead bubba, he established the Bubba and Gump Company, and gave the companys half shares to bubbas moth

23、er. Finally, he became a gardener.Gump went through many affairs in different historical periods, but he still kept simple and kind. In seclusion, he missed Jenny very much. However, Jenny had fallen from grace and given up. When Jenny came back, she lived together with Gump for a long time. In one

24、night, Jenny grabbed Gump by the hand and later slipped away at dawn. Gump was very sad, and he suddenly began to run. Many other people regarded his running as a symbol of something, and finally the behavior became a trend. When he shut down, Gump decided to come back to his hometown. On his way, h

25、e got Jennys letter, and he decided to visit Jenny. At Jennys house, he saw a child who was his son. They decided to come back to their hometown together, but Jenny died in the end. When their son came to the age of going to school, Forrest delivered his son to take the school bus and went to school

26、. The last scene is a reiteration of his life.III. Social and Cultural Background of Forrest GumpThe anti-intellectual sentiment of American society developed fast in 1990s. At the same time, Hollywood produced some movies that belittled the modern civilization and advocated low IQ. American media n

27、amed it the anti-intellectual movie. Forrest Gump was the masterpiece of the anti-intellectual film during that time. Disadvantaged by a terrible spine condition and a low IQ, Forrest struggles through childhood in small-minded Greenbow, Alabama. Due to his mental disabilities, Forrest becomes the v

28、ictim of academic discrimination, which his mother fights desperately to resolve. Forrests mother uses special method to make Gump enroll the school. In addition to these unsettling events, Forrest finds himself tormented and isolated by neighborhood children and townspeople who seem incapable of tr

29、eating him with anything but reproach and disdain.Forrest was also an active part of many important events, including protests led by George Wallace against desegregation, and the anti-war activism led by Abbie Hoffman. It also contained the Vietnam War, the Ping Pong Diplomacy, Black Panther Party

30、meetings, and the Watergate scandal. “It would be reasonable to say that being part of such important events and would make him vulnerable to the social forces of the times, yet his lack of critical thought as a result of low intelligence seemed to indicate the complete opposite he remained wholly o

31、blivious and ignorant of their significance” (Pobert 59).3.1 Social Background Forrest Gump is not about any single historical event, in fact, Forrest is present at almost all of the historical events that take place during his lifetime. Obviously Forrest was not present at all of the events he is i

32、n the movie in real life, he was just added into some of the scenes. It would be possible for him to have witnessed all of the events he does, but he would have had to be extremely lucky. Forrest was a member of the University of Alabama football team because of his running ability. During the perio

33、d, he was on the team and helping them win all their games. At that time, Paul Bryant was the coach, and finally became the coach with the most wins in college football history. While there was not anyone who had the same running ability as Forrest actually on the team, the coach would have recruite

34、d anyone who did have that kind of ability.Forrest is also a member of a ping-pong team after he recovers from being shot in the Vietnam War. Forrest is able to visit China because of his talent. While a team of ping pong players were the first Americans allowed into china since 1949, there were som

35、e military players on the trip. The invitation to China reopened communication between them and the United States, and led to the end of the trade embargo as well as the first presidential trip to China.Forest is also present in many other historical situations. As a child he starts the dance moves

36、that contribute to Elvis fame. When he gets older he is in the Vietnam War, and he rescues a large group of people. For his actions, he is honored at the White House, where he moons the president. Forrest is involved in commercial events in history. While running across the country he is asked by a

37、man to help him come up with an idea for a shirt, he accidentally creates the smiley face shirt. Also during his run he unintentionally comes up with the bumper sticker.With some of his money, Forrest invests in some kind of Fruit Company which happens to be Apple Computers. Gump also creates the Bu

38、bba Gump Shrimp Co. to fulfill his promise to Bubba, one of the soldiers Forrest served with in the war. The company did not exist at the time the movie was made, but in 1996 the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. was built as the first theme restaurant inspired by a film, and now has at least 28 branch offices.

39、 While it would be possible for a single person to be present at all of these events, it is extremely unlikely that anyone. Therefore, there is not true in some part of the films, but the most of the facts are correct. “The differences between the history in the film and in real life are mostly smal

40、l details and are changes made to incorporate Forrest into all of the events” (Liu 58).3.2 Cultural BackgroundAmerican cultures manifest themselves in many ways, including conservative and liberal elements, scientific and religious competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expressi

41、on, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles, American cultures have a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. The flexibility of U.S. culture and its highly symbolic nature lead some researchers to categorize American

42、cultures as a mythic identity; others view it as American exception.It also includes elements that evolved from indigenous Americans, and other ethnic culturesmost prominently the culture of African Americans, cultures from Latin America, and Asian American culture. Many American cultural elements,

43、especially from popular culture, have been spread across the globe through modern mass media. The United States has traditionally been thought of as a melting pot, ever since the 1960s, the country trends are towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl instead. Due to the ext

44、ent of American cultures, there are many integrated but unique social subcultures within the United States. The cultural affiliations of an individual in the United States may have commonly depended on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as religio

45、us background, occupation, and ethnic group membership.Some people said that science and religion are the two roots in the American society. Science is American material backbone. Religion is the root of American spirit. In the past, generally, it was the older and the ill person, or the people who

46、was in trouble that prayed to the God. But now, many well-educated people, the rich, or the young men also pray to the God for satisfying their spirit. Americans regard success they have achieved as the gift God gives.Today, organized religion has not relatively influenced more than 200 years ago in

47、 the everyday lives of most Americans. Churches played a role in the establishment of Prohibition in 1920, where for 14 years it was against the law to make or drink alcohol. Churches have played an active role in promoting the civil rights of minorities and have had a powerful impact on electing lo

48、cal and national leaders who support their causes.Religious groups also operate many elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and nursing homes. They provide aid for refugees, the poor, the elderly, orphans, and other persons in need. Social religious groups play an activ

49、e role in discussing such issues as birth control and rights for minorities and women. While no single organized religion plays a significant role in the lives of Americans, it is clear that the teaching and values of a society that believes in God heavily influence the nation. Religion influences a

50、nd defines what is considered ethical and acceptable behavior for American leaders and is used to measure the value of ideas. Religion in America influences the nation to act in ways pleasing to God and to view God as the creator of the universe and the ultimate source of knowledge, power, and love.

51、IV. American cultures in Forrest GumpForrest Gump contains recurring representations of American ideals that manifest national culture. Gump is the classic underdog, or the archetype of the unlikely yet loveable hero who overcomes the odds and succeeds eventually. Despite of his low IQ, physical dis

52、ability, and modest background, Forrest works hard and thrives. At last, he makes a success in the battle, at ping-pong, at running, and eventually in business with his shrimp company. Jenny, his childhood sweetheart, fits into the damsel in distress archetype, since Forrest must continually save he

53、r from risky situations stemming from her misguided relationships with men. Americans know to root for the underdog, to expect a relatively happy ending for the protagonist, and to hope that the lovers will end up together eventually. With the diversity of unified people, a nation must be comprised

54、of many ideals, norms, groups, and customs, forming a multi-faceted culture that encompasses the practices of each member. “By acknowledging this, one rejects the concept of cultural imperialism, which implies that each national culture is uniform and monolithic”(Marwan 56).Recurrent themes in Forre

55、st Gump also depict the dominant national culture. The film emphasizes the theme of determination the concept that hard work will lead to success. For example, Forrest continues to love Jenny despite of multiple denials, and eventually he is rewarded by her proposal. Determination has long been a va

56、lue depicted in American society, due to the necessity of this value to flourish in a free market and the capitalist economy. The theme of determination illustrated in Forrest Gump has even become a cultural artifact itself, with the phrase “Run, Forrest, run!” signifying determination against the o

57、dds. The theme of optimism and hope is displayed by Forrest, who never loses hope in his quest for Jennys love or in his expectation of the goodness in others. The film also has a strong undercurrent of patriotism, and it is a prominent factor shaping our national culture. Historical references and

58、imagery in Forrest Gump also manifest American cultures. The rise of print led to a shift in the concept of time, which has placed an emphasis on history in present culture. Therefore, the history has played a more important role in modern society. Forrest Gump depicts a vast array of historical movements and events that happened during the 1960s and the 1970s. He engages in events that have changed national politics, economics, and