On U.S. Route 163 atMile Marker 13,near the Arizona-Utah border, Forrest Gump (played by actor Tom Hanks) ended his ultra-marathon of more than 15,000 miles.
With the majestic Monument Valley as the backdrop, this spot has become one of the most iconic and frequently photographed vantage points for a reason.
See AlsoForrest Gump tour – Travel guide at WikivoyageWas Forrest Gump Autistic? The Answer Is In the Details!Countertop & Floating Shelf Brackets, Wood Corbels | Federal BraceForrest Gump Film TourPeople like to replicate cinematic history.Towering sandstone buttes, crimson mesas, and spectacular views of the American southwest don’t hurt the desire to capture the moment. But it is at exactly Mile Marker 13 where we can get a glimpse into how powerful symbolism is for igniting the imagination. Leaders can learn an important insight from Forrest Gump Point.
Symbolic events, experiences, and messages provide a rich and nuanced way to communicate complex ideas and emotions. When they convey powerful feelings, they invite people to bring their own interpretations about what is important and essential in life or in the workplace. Symbols work by crystalizing an idea or an emotion by presenting an image that represents something else.
In the case of Forrest Gump Point, it is not the idea that a famous movie portrayed a scene with a favored actor that compels people to stop and photograph at that spot.
Instead, it is what the act of running 15,000 miles to avoid the heartache of an unreciprocated love represents. Or the final conclusion of a painful and arduous task. For the many people who stop at Forrest Gump Point, the meaning derived from the experience is highly varied, but also the same.
For those who view Mile Marker 13 as a symbol, the place projects a specific meaning about what matters to them. While this meaning may vary depending on the person, in each and every case, the experience symbolizes something important as to how they view the world.
Any time a leader offers a symbol to represent something else, they are sending a loud and clear message that meaning should be derived by those experiencing it.
Everyday organizational symbols include celebrations, logos, brand colors, corporate seals, mascots, physical architecture, manifestos, vision and values statements, slogans and taglines, and letterhead and email designs. Of course, artwork, furniture, and office design are also symbols used to convey complex meaning between people.
So, the next time you look at an enterprise logo or a corporate mission statement, look beyond the words and images and ask what meanings people may be deriving from them. They carry ideas more eloquently than any presentation or town hall speech.
No need to run 15,000 fictional miles to ignite the imagination. If a symbol does its job, someone else does the running.
FAQs
What is the symbolism in Forrest Gump? ›
The way Forrest explains destiny is the way his mother does, “Life's like a box of chocolates you never know what you're gonna get” meaning that you don't know what the outcome of your destiny could be, anything could happen basically your destiny isn't set in stone as others, like Lt. Dan believe.
Is Forrest Gump the movie or Forrest Gump the character a symbol of America or the American Dream? ›What Forrest Gump represents, is the spirit of America, the American dream. Forrest Gump was named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a confederate general, who was largely responsible for the creation of the Ku Klux Klan.
What does the running symbolize in Forrest Gump? ›For Forrest and Jenny, running is a way to overcome their limitations, but it gets more complex than that. After all, for Forrest, it works. It's a literal symbol of his ability to triumph, as he bursts out of his braces and flies down the road, just like the bird Jenny wants to be and can never become.
What is the main point of Forrest Gump? ›The film, "Forrest Gump", deals with finding the true meaning of the life despite facing numerous hurdles. It encourages never to stop and cry over the past experiences. The story is about a man named Forrest Gump. He was born with disabled legs and had a very low IQ of 75.
Who does Forrest Gump represent? ›Forrest represents the idealist version of the american dream we all have in our head, he views everything in a distorted light and is quite naive and exists in his own world.
What is symbolic Interactionism in Forrest Gump? ›At the beginning and end of the movie, a white feather floats in the wind. The white feather symbolizes destiny and luck. Through this use of symbolic interaction and metaphor, Forrest Gump discusses the path we take in all of our lives, and if it is determined by destiny, or just luck/chance.
How does Forrest Gump reflect American culture? ›However, the more important essence of the film is that it reflects such dominant American cultural values as individualism, equality, success through diligence, as well as progress and change. Forrest Gump was viewed as an American culture classic of the day when it was released.
What is the political message of Forrest Gump? ›Forrest Gump is a witty satire which holds the American political establishment up to moral scrutiny, especially the military-industrial complex. Time and again, Forrest's naïve innocence is contrasted with the cunning cleverness of those who exploit him, also including the US military.
How does Forrest Gump embody the American dream? ›You could say he was the born soldiers' superior because somehow he really lived the American Dream. He represents the picture of this strong guy in the army who is willing to fight against all enemies and would even die for his nation and its people.
Did Forrest Gump have autism? ›It would have been extraordinary if Groom had created the character with autism in mind and all evidence points to the idea that he simply intended Forrest to be a low-IQ individual stumbling through some of recent history's most historic events.
What mental thing did Forrest Gump have? ›
It is never explicitly stated in the movie or book that Forrest Gump has autism. While the movie itself doesn't provide a concrete diagnosis for Forrest's condition, the character displays traits suggestive of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
What disease did Jenny have in Forrest Gump? ›Jenny's death in Forrest Gump is left ambiguous, but it is widely accepted that she likely died from HIV/AIDS due to the setting and her lifestyle. The scrapped sequel to Forrest Gump revealed that Jenny died from late-stage HIV, which would have been passed on to their son, Forrest Jr.
What does Forrest Gump symbolize? ›In the film Forrest Gump directed by Robert Zemeckis one of the most inspirational movie characters ever was born, Forrest Gump. Forrest symbolizes the way we wish to deal with the problems we face throughout the course of our lives, and how we would go about solving them if the Universe was on our side.
What is Forrest Gump's short summary? › What does the box of chocolates symbolize in Forrest Gump? ›Just as in a box of chocolates, there are many unknowns in life and we don't always know what will come our way. We have to try different chocolates without knowing exactly what we will get. This is similar to our lives, where we are given certain 'flavors' and we then decide what we will do with those.
What is the significance of Jenny in Forrest Gump? ›Jenny is the first person to encourage Forrest to run (“Run Forrest, run!") when he's being chased and taunted by bullies. Jenny plays a pivotal role later in Forrest's life as his love interest, but it's in this scene where she influences him the most.
What does the white feather symbolize? ›In the United States, the white feather has also become a symbol of courage, persistence, and superior combat marksmanship. Its most notable wearer was US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathco*ck, who was awarded the Silver Star medal for bravery during the Vietnam War.
Is Forrest Gump autistic? ›It would have been extraordinary if Groom had created the character with autism in mind and all evidence points to the idea that he simply intended Forrest to be a low-IQ individual stumbling through some of recent history's most historic events.