Jenny Curran, (starring Robin Wright) the love of Forrest Gump’s life (played by Tom Hanks), in the beloved motion picture Forrest Gump (1994) is one of the most complex and controversial characters. She is extremely well written, but you have to contain a different level of empathy to understand her actions throughout the film. So how is Jenny supposed to be perceived?

Both Forrest Gump fans and detractors of the movie don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to Jenny. It’s hard to pinpoint if she was a good person or if she was “selfish” as some describe Jenny.

Forrest Gump and Jenny Curran’s story began when they met in September of 1951 in Greenbow, Alabama. Since the day they met, neither of their lives would be the same. They did everything together. Walking to school, riding the bus, sitting in the trees. They were best friends. Nothing that life threw at them could take that away.  

As a young girl, one of the most prominent and traumatizing events that Jenny went through was the sexual abuse from her father. Thankfully, she got away from that unsafe house of hers and lived with her grandmother for a period of time. It was like a domino effect. This would be the start of an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle and with time, everything else would come crashing down. 

Later on in her life, after getting kicked out of college, Jenny underwent a series of substance abuse and odd jobs to get by while she continuously pushed Forrest further and further away. She didn’t want to hurt Forrest, and her mindset caused her to think that she would just drag Forrest down with her by keeping him at bay. 

Jenny was in and out of Forrest’s life throughout the years. Forrest wasn’t known for being intelligent, but he gave wisdom and inspired others in other kinds of ways. Forrest expressed his undivided love and loyalty for Jenny–going to the extent of giving her his Medal of Honor he won for his efforts for protecting his country during the Vietnam War. Forrest was like a puppy dog waiting for his owner to come back home. He knew nothing about Jenny’s whereabouts, but he patiently waited for her return every time.

Jenny was not perfect. Anyone can choose whether they pity or despise her over her decisions, and she certainly had her own flaws, but we all do. Jenny’s life is a prime example of being shaped by experiences you’ve endured in your life. Everyone handles things differently. It shows that no one does everything correctly and that we’re all just doing anything to get through each day.