Almari, Alotaibi, Andrews, Witherell, Wright 1

Almari, Alotaibi, Andrews, Witherell, Wright

Instructor King
Introduction to Public Communication
1 October 2014
Interpersonal Relationships in Forrest Gump
In life, there are millions of people; therefore, there are millions of different personalities
and attitudes. Along with those attitudes and personalities comes much diversity in the world.
With such a diverse world, there are many different types of relationships. These relationships
make the world such a beautiful place. Robert Zemeckiss Forrest Gump is heavily based on the
titular Forrests relationships with Jenny Curran, Bubba Blue, and First Lieutenant Dan Taylor.
The film shows this through the concepts of interpersonal relationships. Forrest Gump features
initiation, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, and bonding in relationships.
In Robert Zemeckiss Forrest Gump, initiating interpersonal relationships is a recurring
motif. In Invitation to Human Communication, the initiation step of a relationships is defined as
the first set of interactions between people (Griffin & Bone, 128). In the film, this relationship
step is exemplified by Forrests introductory meeting with long time love, Jenny Curran. The
unlikely pair meet on the school bus on Forrests first day of school when Forrest is unable to get
a seat, so Jenny offers Forrest a spot, beginning their relationship (Forrest Gump). Initiation of a
relationship between Forrest Gump and Benjamin Buford Blue, or Bubba to Forrest, is shown
when, in parallel to his childhood, Forrest is denied a seat on the military bus, but Bubba offers
Forrest a seat (Forrest Gump). The initiation step is also demonstrated between Forrest Gump
and First Lieutenant Dan Taylor, or Lieutenant Dan to Forrest. Lieutenant Taylor introduces
himself to Forrest and Bubba as they enter their camp in Vietnam, asking the young recruits not
to salute to him, as hes paranoid about being shot by enemy snipers (Forrest Gump).
Zemeckiss Forrest Gump also exhibits the experimentation in interpersonal
relationships. According to Invitation to Human Communication, the experimenting step consists
of small talk to learn more about the other person and to help present a likable self-image

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(Griffin & Bone, 128). Many of Forrest Gumps relationships feature experimentation,
specifically those with Jenny, Bubba, and Lieutenant Dan. Jenny and Forrest teach each other
how to do things, with Jenny teaching Forrest to read. Forrest and Bubba discuss hobbies, mainly
Bubbas interest in starting a shrimping business after his tour of service in Vietnam. Lieutenant
Dan makes small talk with Forrest, asking where Forrest is from, then offering Forrest advice on
what to do in the camp, like telling Forrest not to do anything stupid (Forrest Gump).
Forrest Gumps relationships demonstrate intensification. The intensifying step notes an
increase in communication, intimacy, and connectedness (Griffin & Bone, 128). In the movie,
Lieutenant Dan portrays this when Forrest is telling him that he was going to become a shrimp
boat captain and Lieutenant Dan told him If you ever become a shrimp boat captain, I will be
your first mate. Later on in the movie, as a good friend would do, Lieutenant Dan took care of
Forrest and his money that he had earned from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and invested it in
Apple Inc. Lieutenant Dan was connected and intimate toward Forrest, so Dan helped support
Forrest (Forrest Gump). At this point of the film, Lieutenant Dan was starting to care about
Forrest and went out of his way to do what was best for Forrest. Towards the end of the movie,
Lieutenant Dan thanks Forrest for saving his life. At the beginning of the movie, Lieutenant Dan
had a family member die in every war that America has been in, so his destiny was already set
for him, but when Forrest saved him on the battlefield, his destiny changed. Lieutenant Dan was
angry with Forrest for saving him because Dan felt he would be useless without his legs.
Lieutenant Dan later realizes that even though he doesnt have any legs, he still has many things
to be thankful for (Forrest Gump). By this time, Forrest and Dan had become much more
intimate.
Director Robert Zemeckiss Forrest Gump displays the relationship step of integration.
The integrating step, stated in Invitation to human Communication, consists of two individuals

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merging their social circles and organizing their daily activities around each other (Griffin &
Bone, 128). This integration of social activities is fully realized when Jenny invites Forrest into
her sons life. Forrest begins to spend time together with Jenny and her son, watching Sesame
Street with Forrest, Jr. and going to the park with them. To a lesser extent, this is shown when
Jenny tries to indoctrinate Forrest into her anti-war group after a rally (Forrest Gump).
Forrest Gump illustrates bonding, the final positive relationship step. Invitation to
Human Communication indicates that the bonding step occurs when the couple commits to the
relationship (Griffin & Bone, 128). Forrest Gump and Jenny Curran finally commit to their
relationship when they get married. Forrest and Lieutenant Dan commit to theirs when they stake
their friendship on their shrimping business (Forrest Gump). Bubba and Forrest also commit to
their relationship by agreeing to go into business together. These commitments demonstrate the
bonding step of relationships.
Robert Zemeckiss Forrest Gump does an excellent job at portraying the interpersonal
relationships between Forrest and his friends: Jenny, Bubba, and Lieutenant Dan. It shows these
relationships using five steps: initiation, experimentation, intensification, integration, and
bonding.

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Works Cited
Forrest Gump. Paramount Pictures, 1994. Film.
Griffin, Cindy L., and Jennifer Emerling Bone. Invitation to Human Communication. Boston,
MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.