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Amanda Le

Vizcarrondo

FTV/ELIT 01

30 July 2015

Representations of Americana in Forrest Gump and The Tree of Life

Both Forrest Gump (1994) and The Tree of Life (2011) nostalgically explore the duality

of late 20th century American values within the scope of success, attitude, and family.

Despite a vast diversity of cultures and communities having contributed to the uniquely

American culture that emerged during the second half of the 1900s, the image that pervades

throughout both films as iconically American is that of the South. Forrest Gump opens as the

eponymous hero begins his life in Greenbow, Alabama, a rural town whose population is largely

poor and uneducated. Similarly, the O’Brien family around which Terrence Malick’s The Tree of

Life is centered originates in a Texas suburb. The setting has “almost an archetypal cultural

resonance,” writes A.O. Scott, “This is small-town America in the 50’s: Dad’s crew cut, Mom’s

apron, the kids playing kick the can in the summer dust” (Scott C1). What elevates these

expository coincidences to the status of Americana is the ability of the image of the South to go

beyond its role as a mere backdrop for its plot and become an icon. The tone that bridges these

two functions is nostalgia: regardless of the historical realities of the South, its image is veiled

with a sense of idealism, such that it becomes a symbol rather than an isolated experience. The

narrative framing of Forrest Gump implies nostalgia in itself, as all of the events in the film are

shown to the audience as Forrest fondly recounts the events in his life to passersby from a park

bench in Georgia. Having traveled the world and amassed a fortune, Forrest still returns to the

South to settle down again and repeat the cycle of life with his son. Meanwhile, in The Tree of

Life, an adult Jack O’Brien is a successful architect in a big city, but amidst an intangible

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unhappiness searches his memories of a Southern childhood, the rich images of which contrast

starkly with the sterile high-rise of the modern day. Most prominently featured in his

recollections is his father, who, as the average American man trying to get ahead in life, also

comes to represent Americana. Mr. O’Brien can be seen as a foil of Forrest Gump, as they are

characters whose different values influence their values and provide different portraits of

American life. The hardworking Southern man, as portrayed by both films, has been selected to

be both a reliable lens through which American culture can be viewed as well as the product by

which its merits can be evaluated. As such, their successes and failures on the individual level

reflect those of the society they represent (Deutsch 98).

Coined the American Dream, the portrait of success in America is a nearly universal

theme among depictions of Americana. In Forrest Gump and The Tree of Life, forging the path

to prosperity occupies the majority of the characters’ time and resources. The diverging paths of

Forrest and Mr. O’Brien illuminate the different societal perspectives on subsets of success such

as material wealth, prestige, and family, as well as the value of success itself. While Forrest’s

wealth- and prestige-filled life appears to reveal a truth about the simplicity of success and

happiness, Mr. O’Brien’s persistent unrest suggests that the human experience is much more

fickle, obscure, and nuanced. Forrest “lives a great American life untroubled by ideology. Born

with a crooked spine and an I.Q. of seventy-five, Forrest is nevertheless able to become a

football star, war hero, and millionaire by believing in nothing more complicated than Mom,

God, and other authority figures;” however, his good fortunes in the material realm do not fulfill

or motivate him in the way that his interpersonal relationships do (Calavita et. al 64). Only the

devotion to the few true loved ones he has gives him purpose and direction in life. Still, the

lessons to be learned from his path are plain: do good by others and success, be it material or

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immaterial, will follow. On the contrary, although the O’Brien family is firmly middle class and

living quite comfortably, Mr. O’Brien remains unhappy with their position in life. He “grumbles

about neighbors who ‘have money,’ for instance, and dreams of the musical career he longed for

but never had” (Sterritt 55). He forever regrets his decision to abandon the musical path and thus

passionately strives to make a name for himself with his various patents. Yet, not only does he

fail to achieve any recognition from them, but he also ends up losing his position at work and

being forced to relocate just to stay employed. Mr. O’Brien evidently loves his family, but,

unlike Forrest, often takes them for granted and views them more as assets to be polished and

displayed than real people to nurture and appreciate. Through two slightly different lenses, very

different images of the American Dream can be obtained. As portrayed in The Tree of Life, the

American Dream can be deeply rooted in wealth and social standing, a sometimes feverish

pursuit but one that is worthwhile nonetheless. From the perspective of Forrest Gump, the

material is easily gotten but superficial, and the real ideal lies in happiness and righteousness

above all else.

Throughout both films, the dichotomy between being harsh, selfish and unyielding and

being supple and nurturing presents numerous challenges that reflect the larger tensions that have

persisted in American culture. In The Tree of Life, the way of Nature (“Nature only wants to

please itself, get others to please it too...likes to lord it over them, to have its own way”) opposes

the way of Grace (“Grace doesn’t try to please itself, accepts being slighted, forgotten,

disliked… accepts insults and injuries”). Mrs. O’Brien recites this in a voiceover during a

montage of bucolic scenes that quickly cuts to the present day, suggesting that it is a theme

whose context is larger than that of the diegesis. She says that one must choose which path one

will follow. Both Mr. O’Brien and Jack embody Nature, advancing them in their careers but

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leaving them inexplicably unhappy. The O’Brien family’s salvation only comes when they

resign themselves to the way of Grace, which allows them to accept the discrepancies in the

cycle of life, such as the untimely death of R.L. The film takes a definitive stance in promoting a

more passive lifestyle, citing the dangers of getting caught up in greed and competition. As Mrs.

O’Brien says, “No one who loves the way of Grace ever comes to a bad end.” By contrast, while

Forrest Gump’s story appears to promote a blissful oblivion in approaching the world, it also

highlights the merits of being proactive and entrepreneurial. Forrest’s miraculous outcome is

largely due to his resistance to this concept of Nature. He overcomes both physical and mental

disabilities (“Stupid is as stupid does”) by sheer will, not passiveness. At the same time, he lacks

the cutthroat attitude of characters such as Mr. O’Brien and manages to advance far in life

without resorting to barbaric methods. They are “the biggest contradictions of all, the basic

‘mantras’ of the film. Just how does ‘you make your own destiny, Forrest’ reconcile with the

serendipitous nature of ‘Life is just a box of chocolates’?” (Zinsser 91). Although it seems

unclear which set of values is supposedly ascribed to Americana, Forrest is strangely untroubled

by the task of balancing the two, which is the film’s way of asserting that the answer is simple:

both are equally crucial to the culture of America.

Perhaps the most direct testament to the values prescribed by the late 20th century

Americana are the relationships among family members and how they are portrayed by each

film. In accordance with their traditional Southern settings, both films promote the value of

strong family bonds. Regardless of their circumstances, the characters maintain unwavering

loyalty to their loved ones. Forrest Gump grows up without a father but thrives under his saintly

mother’s care. The role of the mother is similarly idolized in The Tree of Life, with Mrs.

O’Brien’s tender nurturing providing relief from Mr. O’Brien’s abrasive mannerisms. In both

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films, the iconic American mother is the demure, gracious, and infinitely wise, binding the

family together. While Forrest’s mother and Mrs. O’Brien undoubtedly play critical roles in their

families, their iconic status also makes them one-dimensional. Their influence is merely implied,

while the dynamic development of other characters is explicitly shown. For example, the father-

son relationship is far more important in both films. Although Forrest’s father is absent from his

life and the audience is only introduced to Forrest’s son at the end of the movie, fatherhood is

arguably the most important endeavor he undertakes. The film urges the audience to take note

when, for the first time, Forrest is portrayed as more than a careless caricature. The shift in his

portrayal occurs when he learns he is a father. After taking all of his experiences thus far in

stride, he is daunted at the prospects of parenthood and feels anxiety for the first time. Up to this

point, the film makes light of major historical events such as war, but does not glaze over the

gravity of fatherhood. At the end of the film, Forrest appears to be a different person, having

developed into a responsible, serious, and nurturing father. However, while Forrest Gump ends

with the beginning of fatherhood, The Tree of Life offers a much more in-depth view of the

complexities of the father-son relationship. The relationship between Mr. O’Brien and his eldest

son, Jack, comprise the majority of the film’s plot. As Jack aimlessly wanders through his

childhood memories, it becomes apparent that his father is the most influential character in his

upbringing. In an effort to prepare his sons for a world he believes to be harsh and unforgiving,

Mr. O’Brien acts as the tough authoritarian figure, demanding the utmost discipline from his

boys. He is portrayed as a cold father whose rare displays of affection are stiff and whose fits of

rage are fearsome when he is disobeyed. As a result, his relationships with his sons are often

strained. Although their familial bond is strong, Jack in particular struggles with resentment

toward his father, especially when he sees what he believes to be hypocrisy. (“He says don’t put

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your elbows on the table. He does. Insults people. Doesn’t care.” However, as the stress of

potentially losing his job weighs on Mr. O’Brien, he softens somewhat, realizing how his

aggressive ideology may not have proven fruitful for himself or his sons. He confronts Jack

directly about this, to which Jack replies, “I’m as bad as you are… I’m more like you than her.”

In a moment of maturity, he expresses understanding and lets go of any resentment he may have

harbored about his upbringing.) In the end, Jack’s father, the film’s representation of the typical

American father, is simply “a portrait of a well-intentioned but all-too human man who falls

short of his own standards in any number of departments” (Sterritt 56). The relationships

between parents and children in both Forrest Gump and The Tree of Life are by no means

perfect, but are clearly regarded with some reverence, which reveals the extraordinary value

placed on the nuclear family unit during this time period. Despite trying conflicts in these

relationships, both films remind the audience of the sanctity of familial bonds during the late

20th century in America.

Forrest Gump (1994) and The Tree of Life (2011) are films from two different genres

with completely different production techniques that both explore the feeling of Americana

during the second half of the 20th century. Forrest Gump covers a broad set of historical events

in a comedically doctored way, and The Tree of Life focuses solely on one nondescript family in

as realistic a setting as possible, but both manage to accurately capture the mood and values of

the era. Forrest Gump, the archetypal Innocent born disabled and naive, is able to illuminate

truths about life that the audience would not otherwise be able to obtain from “normal”

characters. From his story, one can glean the cultural values of the time, which lauded

transparency, hard work, and compassion above greed and scheming. Of all of his achievements,

having accumulated immense wealth and glory, becoming a father is his proudest. The portrait of

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success offered by the film is straightforward and tangible; after all, a mentally disabled person

like Forrest Gump reaches it effortlessly. This is where The Tree of Life diverges severely in its

interpretation. The film, which experiments heavily with themes of divinity and the afterlife,

leaves the audience much less assured about the path to success and happiness in life on Earth.

Intermingled with any fleeting moments of happiness is a sense of angst, as the fast-paced,

bustling culture of greed and consumerism that are so characteristic of American life draw one

away from true contentment. This perspective, though contrasting starkly with that given by

Forrest Gump, is just another angle from which Americana can be experienced. From both films

it can be surmised that the cultural values of Americana during the late 20th century are

comprised largely of contradictions: innocence, compassion, talent, entrepreneurialism, greed,

wrath, bitterness; everyone being compelled to “get ahead,” while a good man is supposed to be

content with a happy family. Navigating this specific set of contradictions and dealing with the

resulting confusion is what spurs each character’s development, and it is undoubtedly what

makes the American experience during this unique time period one whose memory has

compelled representation in art for decades henceforth.

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Works Cited

Calavita, Marco, et al. Film Guide. Vol. 20: Cineaste Publishers, 1994. 64. Print.

Deutsch, James. "Review." American Studies International 37.1 (1999): 97-98. Print.

Scott, A.O. "Heaven, Texas, and the Cosmic Whodunit." Rev. of. The Tree of Life, dir. Terrence Malick. New York Times 27 May 2011, Arts: C1. Print.

Sterritt, David. "Days of Heaven and Waco: Terrence Malick's the Tree of Life." Film Quarterly 65.1 (2011): 52-57. Print.

Zinsser, Judith P. "Real History, Real Education, Real Merit -- or Why Is 'Forrest Gump' so   Popular?" : Social History and the American Political Climate: Problems and Strategies.    Spec. Issue of Journal of Social History 29 (1995): 91-97. Print.