Forrest Gump introduces himself. He is aware of his mental situation—his IQ is only 70—and refers to himself by various derogatory terms. Forrest explains that he was named after a great uncle who was a KKK member. He was raised by his mother; his father was killed in a freight accident on the docks. Public school is too challenging for him at first, so Forrest is put into a school for children with special needs. But when he is in high school, he has a growth spurt: he is 6’6” tall and weighs 240 pounds. The high school football coach sees him running and arranges for Forrest to return to public school so that he can play on the football team.

Forrest is massive, but is afraid of hurting people, so he makes a poor football player. However, when the coach realizes how fast he can run, he puts Forrest in an offensive position, instead of defense. Forrest is able to make the all-state football team.

He is teased constantly in school, but is passive. He is more likely to run away from a fight than to stand up for himself. This changes when a bully challenges him in front of

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