Forrest Gump is a tale of two lives. In one aspect we see the main character as mentally challenged man who has brushes of greatness with famous people. In many ways we see the timeline of the 60s and 70s through the experiences of Gump. Segregation, the war in Vietnam, Watergate…they’re all there.
What stands out is Forrest’s honestly and loyality. When Lieutenant Dan criticizes religous people Forrest contends that he himself is heaven bound. God seemed to be on Gump’s side when a storm wrecked the shrimping business, yet left Forrest’s shrimp boat unscathed.
On the other hand we see Forrest’s love, Jenny, who grew up in an abusive household, and went on to have abusive relationships. She is shown contemplating suicide and eventually gets what we the audience perceve as A.I.D.S.
Two lives are shown. Jenny had all the abilities to do what is right, yet choose not to, and eventually paid for it. Forrest wasn’t given the mental ability as the rest of us, yet he did with what he had and was able to succeed in life. Success isn’t dependent on what we have, only what we do with it.