Forrest Gump tells the story of a simple man from Alabama who lives through huge moments in American history. The ending wraps up his long journey in a way that feels both sad and hopeful. After years of running across the country, Forrest stops and goes back home. He gets a letter from Jenny, the love of his life who has come and gone many times before. When he finds her, she introduces him to their young son, also named Forrest Gump Jr. For more on the full plot, check out this detailed summary on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/plotsummary/[1].
Jenny tells Forrest she has a sickness, later implied to be something like Hepatitis C from her wild past. The three of them move back to Greenbow, Alabama, where Forrest grew up. They get married, and for a short time, Forrest has the family he always wanted. But Jenny dies just a year later. Forrest is left to raise their son alone. On little Forrests first day of school, the grown-up Forrest walks him there, just like his own mother did for him years before. As the boy heads inside, Forrest watches with quiet pride. The movie closes with that same white feather from the start floating away on the wind. It started the story by landing on Forrest as a kid and now drifts off again, like life just keeps moving. This idea comes from analyses like this one on https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63862530/[5].
What does it all mean? The ending shows Forrest finally getting love and a child, but losing Jenny teaches him about letting go. He stays kind and steady through war, fame from ping-pong and shrimp money, and heartbreak. Unlike his friends who change or break, Forrest keeps his pure heart. Some see it as a nod to innocence surviving tough times, as noted in this review on https://www.intofilm.org/films/reviews/842396[4]. Others criticize it for making light of real struggles like disability or Vietnam, pointing out how Forrest stumbles into success without facing the worlds harsh side, according to this take on https://www.ruthlessreviews.com/movies/forrest-gump-the-movie-we-love-to-loathe/[3]. Still, the core message lands on living simply and loving deeply, no matter what history throws at you. Britannica outlines the key events leading here in their overview on https://www.britannica.com/topic/Forrest-Gump[2].
Sources
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/plotsummary/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Forrest-Gump
https://www.ruthlessreviews.com/movies/forrest-gump-the-movie-we-love-to-loathe/
https://www.intofilm.org/films/reviews/842396
https://www.imdb.com/news/ni63862530/
https://www.avclub.com/tom-hanks-had-some-cgi-help-for-his-forrest-gump-ping-p-1798246560
