All throughout the movie, by presenting Forest Gump’s life, the director shows many American values such as the family values: * Forrest Gump shows respect to his mother and wants to make her proud of him. As for his mother, she is the very image of The American mother: she loves her son and goes to the extreme for him. But as much as his family represent the ideal American family (save for his father who left them), Jenny’s family is the very opposite. Her father beats her and her sisters and abuses them. * We watch Forest Gump go by all the stage of an American boy: first, there is school and the miracle that happens then when he can run, then, there is university. There is a great amount of clichés displayed at this moment: the scholarship for the athletes (no need to have a brain to go to university if you have good legs and a sense of some sport), and American football is really important. There are social groups too and briefly is also mentioned the racial segregation with the two black people wanting to go to university with the others. Finally, it is the moment to experience all sort of things. But in all this, Forest just doesn’t fit: he doesn’t get what are the values behind the football, he just runs, he can’t understand the social groups or why black people are not accepted. Finally, when Jenny offers him to experience sex, he doesn’t get it either and refuses. * When he goes to the army, all the clichés of it are again displayed: a tradition of warrior (Lieutenant Dan). It is a place for diversity > black and white together from all the USA (Phoenix, Detroit, Texas, Alabama…). It is a place where Forest can illustrate himself by obeying his superior’s orders and being brave and selfless when serving his country and helping his comrades. He finds there his brother weapon, Booba. But again, Forrest can illustrate himself in the army just because he doesn’t understand what the real danger is, he is not brave but rather reckless and he