Symbolic Meaning Of The Box Of Chocolates In Forrest Gump
They say life is like a box of chocolates, no one can relate to that more than Forrest Gump. There are three parts in the film where a box of chocolate is brought up. Forrest finds out his mother is sick and, out of all the gifts in the world, he decided to give her a box of chocolate. This decision has very important detail behind it because a box of chocolate can mean many things. Forrest also uses this motif when he was reunited with Jenny at the first sight of his son, two opposite dramatic feelings shared by the same gift. The last time a box of chocolates is brought up in the film was in the end at the bus stop when Forrest quotes his mother to a stranger listening to his story. A box of chocolate symbolizes how life can be unpredictable; it can bring people together, and can spread happiness among others.
A box of chocolates can be very unpredictable. This movie is a quintessential example of an unpredictable line of events. Forrest begins his journey unlike most people, having to wear braces on his legs and an IQ of 75. A person like Forrest is not expected to be the fastest and best runner who uses that skill to gain a full ride football scholarship. These events followed the removal of his leg braces, obviously. This plot twist occurred within the first hour of the movie was a foreshadow of a very unforeseeable plot.
Forrest Gump is a movie that if you haven’t seen it, you will not know the end until the end. It follows Forrest throughout his life and every event is a completely different atmosphere than what was expected. A box of chocolates is used as a comparison to an unpredictable event because the chocolates inside are not the same every time. You can buy a box of chocolate one day and it is nice enough to tell you what it contains inside, but the next day you can buy the same box of chocolates and get different candies. Now this new box will still be kind enough to let you know what is inside but it will be different, this is why many of people relate chocolate boxes to life.
Forrest uses this major motif to express his love for his mother. Forrest’s mother becomes very sick and Forrest runs to her with flowers, a card, and a box of chocolates. The film doesn’t portray the box of chocolates as a huge expensive gift but it shows to Mrs. Gump that Forrest loves her and cares for her but most of all, appreciates all that she has done for him.
As Forrest tells his life story the woman at the bus stop, he quotes his mother saying, “My momma always said, ‘Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This is said after the majority of his life was told to the woman, this allowed the woman to understand this reference. This reference could not have been better put then in the article, The Adaptation of Forrest Gump, “Forrest’s life is a box of chocolates because he experiences so many things within his life that are so different from each other similar to the chocolates one finds within a chocolate box.” The author of this article decided to stay anonymous; however, he/she uses many examples of the plot to represent what he means. This author went on for about five pages just on the idea of how uncertain this plot is and uses many example of events in the movie to help prove their point.
In the film, a box of chocolates can be a representation of the coming together of people. A perfect example of this when Forrest brings flowers and a box of chocolates to Jenny. This happened after his three-year long run and after Jenny went through a twelve-step program, a program to get rid of any kind of addiction. The movie does not specifically say that Jenny went through a twelve step program; however, probable cause illustrates the idea because of the way she apologizes and wants to welcome the better people back into her life. The better people includes the love of her life, Forrest Gump. This also happened directly after he finished telling his life story to the woman at the bus stop. He ran to her house and gave her the box of chocolates and flowers as a sign of love and forgiveness. Forgiveness is a very important factor to the box of chocolates because Jenny has done many things to leave and hurt Forrest. The gifts Forrest gave her are a sign of welcoming in the relationship. This scene is one of the biggest moments for Forrest in the movie because he is introduced to his son, Forrest, named after his father. He realized that he has a son with the love of his life, this leads Forrest and Jenny to become husband and wife.
Jenny reaching out to Forrest after his three-year run was a huge example of not only bringing people together, but how unpredictable Forrest’s life has been. These are two of the biggest meanings that the symbol of a box of chocolates represent, but not the only two symbols. Happiness is also a huge meaning for a box of chocolates.
Happiness is spread in many different ways through many different forms. A box of chocolates can spread happiness to people in many different ways. When you receive a box of chocolate, you do not think of how sad or mad you are, it makes you feel good. A box of chocolates was used to make two very important people, to Forrest, happy. His mother was flattered to see her son with a hand full of flowers and a box of chocolate, as should anyone because a box of chocolate can also symbolize your love for this person. Jenny received a box of chocolate and flowers as well because Forrest was reunited with her. Forrest is a perfect example of a gentleman because he has done everything he can to win Jenny and when she writes him about her want to meet with him again, he still shows up with gifts for her. The box of chocolate at the end was the cherry on top for their relationship, this was the first gift that she would have never thought to turn down. It was taken as a love piece and a forgiveness piece for leaving him behind so many times.
Many people can say that a box of chocolates is just that. Terri Murray, in his piece Forrest Gump, expresses this statement with his words, “This symbol, the chocolates, illustrate Fate – the uncontrollable events that make each of us what we are. But the film’s emphasis is not on fate itself.” Terri explains later that the box of chocolates is a box of chocolates, yes it shows up but it doesn’t really mean anything. There are many reasons how he can be proved wrong about his accusations. The movie is about fate and how people react to what it grants us. This movie has a chasing theme of love and forgiveness. Forrest and Jenny create this underlying theme because Forrest has forgiven her countless times and has shown true love for her. Also, a box of chocolates is only brought up during dramatic scenes of the movie, this expresses the importance of the motif.
A box of chocolates can represent many meaning in different scenarios. In the film Forrest Gump, it was hard to put just three meanings on this magnificent symbol. When you see a box of chocolates in this movie, it represents how unpredictable life can be, how people can come together, and the happiness it can spread on other people. People can argue that a box of chocolates doesn’t mean anything in the film and it is just a common gift given to people. And they may have their reasons to believe that but according to the majority, the box of chocolates is a symbol that cannot be defined in fifteen-hundred words.
