Why did Forrest Gump run?

There is something about Forrest Gump, a character brought to life on screen by Tom Hanks, as the slow thinking, omnipresent, all-American fool turned-hero in the movie Forrest Gump. As the movie marks its 20th anniversary, taking a closer look at the amiable dunce that Forrest is, in a movie that reaches heights of wit and cleverness.

"Stupid is as stupid does" - is how Forrest responds to strangers who enquire if he is in fact stupid. Something taught to him by his mother who never wanted him to feel subordinated by others due to his sub normal intelligence. 

His childhood recollection is one of loneliness in a large ancestral home where he lives alone with his mother. While mostly getting bullied in school or joked about for his slowness by the community, the only solace he found was in a girl named Jenny - his best friend and only friend. Simple-minded boy that Forrest is, he is shown as a person who adores his mother and loves his only friend.

The movie opens and concludes with a feather floating around that probably symbolizes 'the unbearable lightness of being' or 'randomness of experience' or 'fate', where lightness as to the feather and the randomness of its landing quite promptly as fate would have it, at the shoes. 

And shoes as Forrest mentions impromptu, can tell a lot about a person - where they go, where they been. Lightness of being and randomness are key to understanding Forrest who with his low IQ, yet astute attention to detail, will evoke our heartfelt feelings towards him over most intelligent fellow beings.

As Forrest narrates, "Mom always had a way of explaining things that I could understand them. She made me feel I am no different than anybody else". He knew from his heart that Mom would always be there for him, no matter what others felt. He also knew that he was born stupid and particularly good at nothing, until by chance he started running. This happened when some boys started picking on him and Jenny tells him "Run, Forrest. Run". 

Forrest who had been having braces on his legs starts running and the braces fall off. He realizes for the very first time in his life that he is in fact good at something. In his ecstasy he very easily runs across his entire countryside neighborhood.

As the movie progresses we get to see Forrest unwittingly make history while influencing events of the latter half of the 20th century in America. He lands a scholarship and plays for a college football team and gets on the All-American team. 

Later he joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba. He wins medals, becomes a successful entrepreneur, inspires people (including Elvis Presley's famous style of swinging and John Lennon's Imagine), creates the smiley, meets the President among others. These achievements were irrelevant to Forrest who longed to be with his childhood sweetheart Jenny. And all the while along the movie, there is Forrest running. But why?

Agreed, that is what he is good at. Exactly why he secured the college scholarship to play football owing to his running abilities. He also uses it to 'run' away from snipers in the Vietnam jungle, carrying his wounded buddies away from the shooters and to safety. 

But why did he run a 3 year coast-to-coast marathon, gaining celebrity status, attracting a band of followers and in the process inspiring a number of failing entrepreneurs to success?

It so happens that Forrest's life revolved around Jenny - she was all that he longed for. In spite of being aware of his slow mind, he proposes to Jenny and she politely refuses. 

He sadly retorts, 

"Why don't you love me, Jenny? I am not a smart man, but I know what love is".

They make love and the next day Jenny leaves him. A distraught Forrest goes on a running spree that finally turns out to be a 3 year long marathon.

While attracting a band of followers who chase him wanting to know the cause that he is running for, he is all over the media. Finally after 3 years when he decides to give up running, he calmly says that he is tired and just wants to go home. 

We could say that he ran across the country to forget about what he longed the most, with what he did the best. Ironically, Forrest is the one who runs physically, though Jenny in the movie is the one who runs away from her memories of childhood abuse.

Well Forrest certainly had his point made when he got running. Something for everyone to take a lesson from Forrest, is thinking too much about everything around us in a selfish manner. 

We complicate stuff while reasoning the society, while Forrest mostly felt it easy to just let go owing to his simplicity. While being asked, "Who do you want to be Forrest?" 

He replies,

"Aren't I supposed to be me?"