It seemed like she kind of had her life back on track at that point.
Why take off like that?
She had his child, I would think she would want him to know that and he certainly could've helped financially.
Can't imagine she could make enough money to raise little Forest.
After re-watching Forrest Gump on AMC I focused on Jenny's character. Jenny came back to Forrest after she'd had a string of bad relationships and doping out in California, like when she almost slipped off that ledge. Remember that she slept for a long time after she first got back. And her throwing rocks at her old house and wailing showed that the wounds were resurfacing and that she was nowhere near recovering from them.
That last night she was in his house he asked her to marry him and she said "You don't want to marry me," and Forrest said "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is." And then during the night she comes into his room, the same room she probably stayed with him in when they were young kids. And she offers herself to him.
It was a downer, but it made perfect sense to me even the first time I saw the movie why she was getting in the cab and leaving. The cabbie leered at her and said "What are you running from?" and she told him "I'm not running."
When Forrest wakes up later and discovers she is gone, he literally runs for three years.
Jenny probably didn't feel as though Forrest deserved her arriving on his doorstep as damaged goods. That's why she said "You don't want to marry me," and leaving in the cab the next morning would make sure the situation didn't come up again.
It's those little things that make the movie so great. As for Robin Wright, she seems like she has always been sort of low-key as an actress. In an interview around the time the movie was getting so famous, she said she thought it was a fluke. While casting directors came with all sorts of high-profile offers, the next movie she did was the forgettable Moll Flanders. She has worked steadily since then, but other than possibly Message in a Bottle and House of Cards, nothing too spectacular.
It must have been difficult, of course to have been married to Sean Penn.
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It seemed like she kind of had her life back on track at that point.
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It was not Forrest’s child.
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I always assumed she was already pregnant by the time she arrived. She knew she needed to straighten up and landed at Forrest's home. When he expressed that he wanted to marry her she felt about taking advantage of him. She had sex with him because that is the only form she knew how to express her feelings having grown up abused. She left because she didn't want to hurt him with her demons. She returned later on after she was given a terminal diagnosis to give Forrest what he wanted (marriage) as a thank you. She also wanted to make sure someone took care of her child after her passing. Forrest was wealthy and emotionally healthy. She knew this was the best option for her son. She gave Forrest the title of father to her child. In a way she would continue to live on with Forrest through her son.
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I always assumed she was already pregnant by the time she arrived.
Agree. The mannerisms and other similarities would not have been shown otherwise.
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Sometimes I don't know what people want. The writers put those clues in specifically to show that Forrest was the father. As you say, why else would they film those mannerisms?
Now, if this was a true story, no one in their right mind would accept those as proof of paternity, but what do people want to see? Do they want a scene with Forrest going for a DNA test, even if they were available back then? Some people just can't seem to separate fiction from reality.
I don't think she was able to handle the idea of being loved. Probably felt she didn't deserve it but also felt uncomfortable with it.
I still think it was unfair of her to do that to Gump though.
Movie is an American History of disability. Jenny is the 'bizzaro' history.....showing the inverse of what had happened when pwds lacked emotional support and guidance, were abusing drugs and other substances,
Not a question of fairness......Jenny, like many other people in their time honestly grows up not thinking of him as a full person. She is nice to him but does not think of him as an equal. Just how it is.
Lots of reasons. She loved Forrest, but was not ready to go from mega-hippy to the other end of the scale. Not long-term. Plus, living and loving a person who cannot articulate well and sees things in black and white (non-racial context) would likely get very wearying, very quickly.
But Forrest did adapt over time. He became an excellent soldier and had no qualms with killing since he was one of the good guys and was defending his friends. I was fascinated by his ability to kill or be killed. He was born to follow orders, but he had to learn to kill.
When did we ever see him killing? The only time they showed his troop in battle was when they were attacked, and he ran.
shareActually, during the ambush he is seen firing, aimed, back at the enemy. Perhaps he never managed to kill anyone, but clearly he was shooting back with intent. Also, he ran when ordered to do so...
shareI'd argue that's self defense. It's not like he became like the Punisher.
shareTrue, but I did not state or intend to imply he was a “killer”. In war he learned to kill the enemy who was trying to kill him. Like most others do. But I get the sense, given his nature, he did not agonize about his role in likely killing others.
shareJenny is one of those people who has to constantly flee or be on the move. They can't settle or be content.
shareShe was abused as a child and that jacked her up forever.
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