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CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND FINDING
An Analysis of Morality Reflected by The Main Characters in Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump
In this chapter, the main discussion is about the analysis of morality reflected in the main characters in Forrest Gump novel. Groom describes some good behaviors in
one of characters in this novel and he also uses another character to describe bad behaviors. The good and bad behaviors are benevolence, courage, friendship, disloyalty
and despair which are found in character of Forrest Gump, Jenny Curran and Dan. The writer uses the definition of morality as theoretical by Jeremy Bentham who said that
morality as the art to maximize happiness because by considering this matter it is will
be useful for our self and the other people.
4.1 Benevolence and Courage
Benevolence as the good conduct, people who have benevolence always do good things without think about what response they will get. People who have
benevolence always help each other without force. Benevolence is one of the good moral belong to people. Benevolence also can give the pleasure for who do it and
who accepted it. The pleasures of benevolence are the pleasures resulting from the view of any
pleasures supposed to be possessed by the beings who may be the objects of benevolence; to with, the sensitive beings we are acquainted with; under which are commonly included, 1.
The Supreme Being. 2. Human beings. 3. Other animals. These may also be called the pleasures of good-will, the pleasures of sympathy, or the pleasures ofthe benevolent or social
affections. Bentham, 1781:37
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23 Generally, people do good things just for another who they had known well,
like for family, friends or colleague. People will help each other if they think they will get feedback from what they are doing. Benevolence of someone appears from
the bottom of heart to help others, giving what heshe can do for the better of someone.
To doing benevolence is needed courage, people must have a courage to help each other or to do an action in making another happy. Without the courage, people
just have a feeling to help another people but they cannot do anything. But with the courage people have ability to help and doing something to another. Courage is being
afraid but going on anyhow. People must have courage to face their life because in world there are many dangerous will be happen which people are never known
before. Courage will be a good moral if the courage is done for do the good thing and has the good benefit for another people. Courage and benevolence is in one way to
make another happy by the action. In novel Forrest Gump by Winston Groom, benevolence conduct is described
in leading character, that is Forrest Gump. The situation and condition of his environment which is made him as good man, he lives with his mother. His father
was died when he was child. His mother has important rule to make Gump to be good man. Gump was born with IQ 70, but he doesn’t so stupid to do many good
things to another people. His mother always teaches him to does good things to everyone. From child, he had got bully by another child in his school. They look
Gump as an idiot man who did nothing. But his mother never give up in him, his mother always protect him from the men who want to hurt Gump. His mother is very
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24 patient in take care of him. Although he lives with his mother and lose the figure of
his father but he still strong man with the good body. Gump always want to make his mother get happy, he join with one of
Football College. And in this college, he always bullied by his mate in one team. “more trouble for a long time, but then one day in the springtime I
was walking home from school and who should appear but the boy that poured that milk in my lap an chased me that day. He got hissed a
stick an start calling me things like moron and stupo. Some other people was watching an then along comes Jenny Curran, an Im about
to take off again— but then, for no reason I know, I just didnt do it. That feller take his stick an poke me in the stomach with it, and I says
to myself, the hell with this, and I graphed a holt to his arm and with my other hand I knock him upside the head and that was the end of
that, more or less.”Winston Groom: 6
This quotation above shows the courage of Gump comes to face his enemy who always mocked him, at first he felt so afraid but he think he have to against him and
he did it. After he did it to the man, it never happened again. The man never bullies him again and he felt so glad. This case improve by sentence ‘I graphed a holt to his
arm and with my other hand I knock him upside the head and that was the end of that, more or less’, Gump uses his courage to against his enemy and he tried to
protect himself by knock his enemy. Courage is appearing when the condition is worse and forces someone to fight it because if not there are some terrible thing will
be happen. By his courage, Gump get free from the people who want to bother him and he can live like another without feeling of fear. Courage is very important to
belong of anybody because if people see us have not courage then they will do many things they want which is not good for us.
Courage is also show on when Gump became one of the Army of the USA. Gump with his soldiers went to a war in Vietnam. They stayed in there for a long
time. Gump led by sergeant Karnz, they get resistance from the Vietnamese soldiers
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25 who became their enemy. Until one day when they lost and more army were shot by
the enemy. It can be seen from this quotation how brave Gump is . “Oh God, it were awful— an gettin worst. No tellin what them gooks
would of done if they caught us. I call out to Doyle to come here, but they is no answer. I jerk the machine gun from po ole Bones fingers
an squirm over to Doyle, but he an the two other guys layin there shot. They dead, but Doyle still breathin, sos I grap him up an thow
him over my shoulder like a flour sack an start runnin thru the brush towards Charlie Company, cause I scared outta my wits. I runnin for
maybe twenty yards an bullets wizzin all aroun me from behin, an I figger I be shot in the ass for sure. But then I crash thru a canebreak
an come upon a area with low grass an to my surprise it is filled with gooks, lyin down, lookin the other way, an shootin at Charlie
Company— I guess.” Winston Groom : 26
He saw situation of war is getting worse and has a lot of his friends been shot. Without fear he save his friends, he lifted them one by one to a safe place. He was
also carrying a weapon in case the enemy came to shoot him. Can be seen from the sentence ‘I runnin for maybe twenty yards an bullets wizzin all aroun me from behin,
an I figger I be shot in the ass for sure.’ Gump run to carried his friends to safety places. He knew there are many enemies in his surrounded but he keep running until
found the safety place for his friends. Eventually he saved all his friends because of his courage. But Gump was getting shot in his butt because he saved his friends.
After rescuing friends in one team, Gump realized if Bubba, his true friends is not there.
From the courage of Gump has, he shows benevolence with another in war of Vietnam, without thinking the risk he will get, he go ahead bravely to help and carry
his friends which got shoot. This case can be seen from the quotation, “They takin the wounded outta there, when along come Sergeant
Kranz, hair all singed off, clothes burnt up, looking like he jus got
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26 shot out of a cannon. He say, Gump, you done real good yesterday,
boy,. Winston Groom: 27 From the sentence, “Gump, you done real good yesterday, boy,” showed
how kind Gump is. Sergeant said that what Gump done is really good, when he save the sergeant and another solider. Gump did something is good for another people, he
did it without think to get something or reward for it but he just did what he can. Gump shows his benevolence by saving his friends’ life. From this event proved that
Gump helped others with all of his strength although he could leave them and just go for saved himself.
His courage which can encourage him to help others in the war, he does not think what will be done if he does not help them. The courage also make him can
apply the benevolence to another and make another happy. He does not saw his best friend, Bubba. When the war happened, he run away
and cannot see where Bubba is. Then he back to forest to looking for Bubba. He wants to make sure that Bubba is alright. Without think anything, he go to forest and
find out Bubba. “Somebody say Bubba was out in the rice paddy an he is hurt, an I
say, Goddamn, an Sergeant Kranz, he hear me, an say, Gump, you cant go out there. But shit on that— I leave the machine gun behind
cause it jus be extra weight, an start pumpin hard for where I last seen Bubba. But halfway out I nearly step on a feller from 2nd platoon
who is mighty hurt, an he look up at me with his han out, an so I think, shit, what can I do? so I grap him up an run back with him fast
as I can. Bullets an stuff be flyin all over. It is somethin I simply cannot understand— why in hell is we doin all this, anyway? Playin
football is one thing. But this, I do not know why. Goddamn.”Winston Groom: 28
Can be seen from the quotation above the courage of Gump to save Bubba is very big, whereas in the forests there motion of enemy gunfire but he did not care. He
went looking for Bubba, Sergeant Kranz had told him that in there danger but Gump
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27 still go. The sentence ‘Gump, you cant go out there’ showed how danger is the
situation in the forest that Gump didn’t go there. But with his courage, he went back to forest to help his best friend Bubba. Gump thinks, war is much worse than playing
football but he does not understand why there should be of war. Gump finally get that when it was dying, he took Bubba to a safe place. But injuries are very severe
and Bubba obtained cannot be saved, Bubba was dead. Gump does it because he really loves Bubba as his best friend, he shows his benevolence by take care of
Bubba although at the end Bubba was died. Gump is good in playing ping-pong and he has chance to go to China for
competition with China man. He goes there with Mr. Wilkins, their mission instead of play ping-pong and also to make the relation USA and China will be good. They
are welcome with pleasured by China people and they make a celebration to them in a river. In that river, chairman from China, Mao come and swim as entertainment.
China people are very happy, they claps their hand when the chairman raises his hand from the river, but Gump see something is wrong because the chairman raises
his hand for several times. Gump think the chairman needs help because he will sink, then Gump come to under water and help him.
“Anyhow, I dived down three or four times an sure enough, I bumped into the ole bastid floatin aroun underwater. I haul him up an some
Chinamen grapped him an thowed him in the boat an took off. Didnt even bother to take me along, an sos I have got to swim all the way
back by mysef.” Winston Groom : 39
Without afraid, he fall down to river and save the chairman, he believe he can help the chairman with his courage. He does not realize what he has done, in fact the
chairman Mao is one of very hated by America’s government. Mr. Wilkins says to Gump, why he saves the chairman but he just said because he need help. Gump so
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28 naïf with his conduct but he does good things. From the sentence ‘I haul him up and
some Chinamen grappled him and towed him in the boat and took of’ Gump tried and can save the Chairman Mao, after saving the Chairman, Gump swim back by
himself. Gump did good things for everyone who need help, he never chooses the people and making differences. He does good things what he thinks is right and give
his kindness to everyone. And because of his benevolence also, some of his friends can get job, he
invite them to join with his shrimp company. He meets them and offers them to join with his company.
“After a couple of beers, I got a idea, and told to Curtis about it. Howd you like to come work for me? I asked. Curtis be cussin an
hollerin but after a minute or two I figger out he is tryin to asked me what I want him to do, so I told him about the srimp business and that
we was gonna expand our operation.He cuss an holler some more, but the gist of what he is sayin is yes. Winston Groom : 105
“He is not too happy with his present job with the tinymight football team an so I put him to work with Curtis in charge of dredgin an
spillway duties. Then I find out that Coach Fellers from the highschool is done retired an so I give him a job, along with his two
goons who has also retired, workin on boats an docks.” Winston Groom: 107
From the quotation above can be seen how good Gump is, giving job for Curtis, Snake and Coach Fellers in his shrimp company. He sees his friends’ from collage
have not good job, then he thinks and gives them a good job in his business, Shrimp Company. Gump asked Curtis and Snake to join with him otherwise he does not
really need them in his company. He brave to take the risk with what he does, maybe he can get suffer a financial loss because make them as an employee whereas he does
not really need add employee in his company. But he saw them need a job, spontaneously Gump offer the job to them. The benevolence of Gump that he has
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29 done shows that he has good moral. He helps everyone who needs help, doing
everything as he can do. He has done many good things to others with pleasure without pressure. In his thought just how to make others happy with all he has.
Benevolence and courage make everyone will be happy, not just people who do good things but also the people who got benevolence from that people will got
happy too. Gump has proved it by his experience in helping each other and he does not get pain from doing it.
4.2 Friendship
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