Narrative Paradigm

Forrest Gump

People are influenced and persuaded in many different forms and ways. One way people are influenced according to Walter Fisher, a contemporary theorist, is through storytelling. In the text Communication Theories by John R. Baldwin, Stephen D. Perry, and Mary Anne Moffitt, says, “Fisher believed that human beings are by nature tellers of stories…that the world was best understood as a series of stories that compete for our attention and adherence.” They go on further to state that people process and evaluate the persuasiveness of competing stories by looking at their narrative rationality. The narrative rationality is broken up into two aspects called narrative probability/coherence and narrative fidelity. The theory is that the stories that fit the two categories have the potential to be very influential and move people to action. Fisher’s narrative paradigm can be applied to many different contexts.

I evaluated the movie Forrest Gump according to Fisher’s narrative theory. Forrest Gump is a very persuasive movie, it deals with many current issues and challenges we all face in life. It shows that life is hard that it has its ups and downs, but we should continue to press forward.

Before evaluating the movie the terms narrative probability and narrative fidelity should be defined. According to a communication theories website Rhianna Cornick defines narrative probability or coherence as how the story sticks together, if it makes sense, and if it is complete with a beginning, middle, and end. For narrative coherence to be optimally persuasive the characters in the story need to be consistent with how the audience thinks they should act. Cornick defines narrative fidelity as when the story matches up with the audience’s life and correlates with their ideas, values, and experiences. Narrative fidelity, according to the text Communication Theories says, “Fisher suggests that all stories contain good reasons. They tell us who we should be and how we should behave.” It also states that a persuasive story has the ability to show reasons that fit with the character, culture, and values of those who are listening to the story.

Forrest Gump the movie is persuasive because it meets all of these standards. The movie starts with Gump as a grown man waiting for a bus. It is him relating his life experiences with those that wait at the bus with him. The movie has narrative coherence because the viewer can tell that this is going to be a story, and it goes through his whole life beginning at his childhood. Periodically the story is brought back into the present, but continues in an orderly fashion. The characters face normal challenges and issues that many face today.

When this movie is looked at in perspective of narrative fidelity as to whether or not this story rings true. Many of the experiences that the characters had in the movie can be directly seen in life. Children being raised by single parents, some children are even raised by abusive parents and it takes a toll on the child, as it did with Jenny. Many people in life may not be the brightest or most gifted, but everyone has talents that can be found and magnified. Such as when Forrest discovered he could run, play ping pong or be a good friend. Some people go through life and do a lot of good, but are not recognized or appreciated as much as they should be. For example, when Lieutenant Dan lost his legs in defense of our country he did not get the appreciation that he probably deserved. There are people who have been in bad relationships or abusive relationships. There are some who have loved and have sacrificed much for them. In the movie there are many examples Forrest and Jenny, he would always be there for her no matter what. There are many experiences that are in the movie the audience can identify with, and which directly relate to people’s personal experiences.

Another issue that the audience can identify with is that Forrest was not the brightest person, but he made a difference in the lives of those he interacted with. He was picked on at school. He was asked all the time if he was an idiot. Forrest was an average or less than average person. An audience can identify with him because there are many who feel themselves as average or less than average people. Even though Forrest was not extraordinary he did extraordinary things. He seemed to lift others that were around him. An example of this would be after the war Lieutenant Dan was left to live life without any legs. He was bitter, angry, and ended up getting into party lifestyle with drugs and alcohol. When Forrest came along he seemed to give Lieutenant Dan hope and a new start. Lieutenant Dan became Forrest’s first mate in his shrimp boat business. At the end of the movie you could see a visible change in Lieutenant Dan. He had a new wife, new legs, and a new sense of life. This is a very persuasive theme throughout the movie because an audience can identify with Forrest, and it gives people hope that the non-spectacular can do outstanding things.

This story has good reasons and values that should and ought to be adopted by all or as the textbook states, “All persuasive communication urges people to accept or reject some idea or course of action; in other words, it tells people what they should believe or what actions they ought to take.” This movie shows that all are created equal. Gump treated everyone the same. It did not matter their color or status. An example from the movie would be when Forrest become friends with Bubba in the army. Bubba is an African American from the south. While they are out on patrol their squad comes under attack. Forrest escapes, but realized he cannot find Bubba so he goes back into the middle of the action to rescue him. On the way Forrest runs into other soldiers who were hurt and needed help. As a result, Forrest started hauling them off to safety. To Forrest it did not matter if you were poor or rich, he would still be peoples friend.

Another important value that was indirectly taught was not to judge others and how one person can influence another’s for good. The movie taught that a person never knows what others have been through such as their background, how they were raised, and what good they have done. Forrest treated everyone the same, and never gave up on those he loved. An example would be Jenny, who fell off the path for a while or Lieutenant Dan who also went through some hard times. It seemed that everyone had their hard times, but because of Forrest and his friendship they were able to come out fine in the end. I liked a quote from the movie that was said by a hooker to Forrest, she said, “Don’t you love New Years because you get a new start, everyone gets a second chance.”

In conclusion, I believe that elements in the narrative theory by Walter Fisher explain and show how stories are a form of rhetoric that can influence and persuade people. According to "Welcome to a Taste on Rhetoric" website it says, “His (Walter Fisher) Narrative Paradigm asserts that people are essentially storytelling animals and our reason is best appealed to through stories.” The website says that Fisher did not believe that all stories were created equal. Stories can be evaluated and critiqued by the two aspects, narrative probability/coherence and narrative fidelity to see how persuasive the stories really are. I believe that the movie Forrest Gump is a great example of the persuasiveness that stories can have on people.

Work Cited

Zemeckis, Robert. (1994). Forrest Gump.

Baldwin, John., Perry, Stephen., Moffitt, Mary. (2004). “Communication Theories for

Everyday Life.” Pearson Education, Inc.