Category: Forrest Gump

LIEUTENANT DAN TAYLOR, FOUR

He’s so impulsive and angry; is Lt. Dan an Eight? An Eight, a Body Type, who loses part of his physical ability would have a difficult recovery.

What if Dan is a Heart Type, though? It’s a joke in the movie that Dan’s every ancestor has died in war, and Dan expects the same fate. A Four would feel pretty pissed off at getting cheated out of a glorious death.

Dan is more emotionally volatile than an Eight would be. “You call this a storm?!” He loves this conflict, this fight between his will and nature’s. It’s not about physical power, though. An Eight would ask for his body to be changed; for Dan, his heart needs to change. Until this moment he’s dominated by depression and can’t move forward with his life.

I also like him as a Four because he is another Heart Type companion for Forrest Gump. It’s consistent.

BUBBA BLUE, TWO

Who doesn’t love Bubba? Of course, like Jenny, he’s kinda fridged so that Forrest Gump can have feelings.

Is Bubba, like Jenny, also a Two?

I mean, he has a collection, which is a Man Two trait. He collects shrimp recipes!

It’s interesting that Forrest would surround himself with the same Enneagram. (Or, the showrunners would stick to writing the same kind of character who befriends Forrest and then dies.)

Bubba is a complete character, though. He’s written for laughs, but Mykelti Williamson gives us more than comedy (or pathos). We believe that he and Forrest have a connection strong enough to last beyond Bubba’s death. Making Bubba a Two is a wise choice.

JENNY CURRAN, TWO

She is a sexually-abused child who grows up to become a wounded woman. Drugs, hurtful boyfriends, rash choices, and suicidal moments are what we see of her. She wants to be a folk singer, like Joan Baez, but she performs nude (with her guitar as her modesty shield) in a strip club. She’s a character who breaks our hearts, but she’s also a plot device to break Forrest’s heart. Is Jenny actually a complete person, or is she only an archetype of pain?

At the end of the movie, Jenny is a real character. She’s grown, she has an arc, and she’s exorcised her demons.

But she’s also fridged, lol.

Okay, let’s dig. I immediately jump to Heart Type because she carries so much emotion. She’s not strong enough to be a Four — she would need power moments and not just trodden moments. She’s clearly not a Three. Maybe a Two? An abused Two can break into pieces like Jenny does.

I’ll take it. I like that her damaged Two is supported by Forrest’s Eight-to-Two confidence. It’s a good match beyond plot shenanigans. Also, when Jenny finds her strength, it’s in the healthcare field. A genuine Two at peace could choose that career.

FORREST GUMP, EIGHT

As I said in my review of the protagonist in The Accountant, any Enneagram choice must be about the character beyond their neurodiversity. Showrunners just can’t present a hero with no specific defining traits. 

What are the possibilities for Forrest?

He’s a “running fool”. My first thought is about a Body Type. Someone who needs that physical expression — running across the country — could be a Nine, Eight, or One. However, he doesn’t seem like a Nine. “Sorry I ruined your Black Panther party” is not spoken by someone who avoids conflict. He’ll mix it up with anyone if he thinks he’s defending Jenny. Is he an Eight?

Yes. Think of his bravery during the war. He goes back for everyone, tirelessly. That leadership, that instinctual heroism, is Eight-like.

He’s so connected to his friends — Bubba, Lt. Dan — that I thought he might be a Heart Type. I prefer to think of him as an Eight moving toward his strength number, Two. Perhaps his mental challenge lets him discard the darker side of his Enneagram. He’s never stingy, which would be his weak number (Five) reaction. He’s always compassionate and generous. I really like the idea that Forrest leans heavily into the Two aspect of his Enneagram.

But he’s still an Eight. I only need remember his table tennis prowess to feel certain of that.