- The Ruckus 2010
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- Intrepid Legendary Member
Name's John. I'm a 21-year-old firefighter/EMT from lolhio who doubles as a die-hard Halo fan. I've been enjoying the franchise since 2001. My favorite iteration of Halo would have to be Halo 2 simply because I never got to experience the joy of a full-on Halo: CE LAN.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
Oh yeah, and boot Zome.
Posted by: shortD42 is aBK
Posted by: The Ruckus 2010
Posted by: Needler Rifle
Posted by: crazyfoomandude
He IS Forrest's son...
-_-
Seriously, what 'proof' so you have besides 'she's a deceitful -blam!-.'
That's not at all proof, that's your misinterpretation.
I'll make the best case I can that the child is not Forrest's because Jenny was already pregnant when she slept with him -- and she knew it.
She was possibly already sick, noting that Forrest says, "She just sleeps, and sleeps like she hasn't slept for days." As noted, this could be caused by depression, or drug withdrawal, or early signs of AIDS (less likely, given that if she's already experiencing strong symptoms she likely wouldn't live another 6 years).
But I see this as our first and best clue that it's NOT Forrest's baby; she sleeps so much because she's already in the first trimester of pregnancy and is experiencing a typical symptom: constant fatigue.
Consistent with this explanation, the very reason she leaves her old lifestyle is because she's realized she's pregnant and needs to clean up her act. She goes to Forrest because he's the only person she knows who can give her a safe place to escape her old life.
OK, so why does she sleep with him? Is it pity, some sort of sisterly love, a mood swing driven by pregnancy? Under the most cynical view possible, it's part of a quickly conceived but coldly rational plan to protect her unborn child. Sleeping with Forrest and naming the baby after him gives her a future out, letting her plausibly claim he is the father -- the timing works out to within a few months because she makes it work out -- and then get his support in case she isn't able or doesn't want to care for the child in the future. Presumably she believes Forrest would make a much better and more reliable parent than whoever actually knocked her up. When she does get sick, she waits until she knows she is dying to pull her trump card, and Forrest comes through like she knew he would.
Crushing as it may be, the adult 1970s Jenny doesn't love Forrest, not even a little, and she doesn't want him in her life except as a desperate fallback. She ignores his letters for years, failing to show the slightest kindness -- if writing a postcard is too hard, would she have sex with him out of kindness? After sleeping with him she leaves without saying goodbye though she knows it will break his heart, perhaps out of guilt for what she's done, but more likely because in panicked pregnant recovering addict mode she doesn't care about his feelings or doesn't believe he has them, and needs to get out of there before her baby bump starts showing. Deep down, he knows he's been used, and that drives him to run.
But the redemptive part of this interpretation is that even though he's been used in the worst way, even though he ends up parenting another man's son, Forrest's story is still a triumph of trust and love -- because he will always see Jenny as the little girl who was kind to him, because he would never doubt her honesty, because an answer as cynical as this one would never occur to him, he will happily love the boy as his own and thus end the loneliness that's haunted him since his mother died and Jenny walked out.
Me gusta. I've always thought Jenny was that kind of person so, although it was confirmed to be his son in the book apparently, this is entirely plausible.
Your statement contradicts itself.
If you're referring to "although it was confirmed to be his son in the book apparently, this is entirely plausible", then not really. It's pretty clear that I mean that the theory is entirely plausible within the context of the film.
I'm sure you're aware of the massive disconnects between books and their film adaptations.