Forrest Gump (character) - Differences From The Novel

Differences From The Novel

The portrayal of Forrest in the original novel is notably different to how he was portrayed in the film. Largely, in the novel, Forrest is shown to be somewhat cynical and abrasive, while in the film, he is a more placid and naïve person. He is also described as being an autistic savant and has extraordinary talent in numerical calculation (as shown when he states the exact amount of time in years, months, days and hours that he ran across the country). Changes from the novel to the film include: the deaths of Forrest's mother, Jenny, neither of whom died in the original book, running around the country, and going to space; later crashing in New Guinea and being captured by a native tribe.

The novel also provides additional backstory on his father. It is revealed that his father was a longshoreman, who worked for United Fruit Company. He was killed when a crate of bananas being loaded off of a boat fell on top of him, crushing him to death. Forrest goes on a number of different adventures including being an astronaut, playing the harmonica in a band called the Cracked Eggs, becoming a professional wrestler ("The Dunce") and running for the United States Senate (with the campaign slogan "I Got to Pee").