Written by Mr. Mouseburger 24th Jan 2008
Written by Marion
The relationship between Forrest and Jenny is a long and complex one, but to summarise it, while Forrest was out making history and meeting iconic figures of the day, Jenny has flitted from one vice to the next. Sex, drugs and Rock 'n' Roll catch up with her, and she catches a disease.
Prior to this though, Forrest and Jenny slept together and the net result is that she has a child by Forrest. As she tells him about this, she also tells him that she has a virus, and that the doctors don't know what it is (which is a euphemism for AIDS). Forrest offers to take care of her, and she asks to marry him. Naturally, he says yes, and they are married at his house in Greenbough.
Forrest takes care of Jenny, but it is not long until she dies. As Forrest notes, "You died on a Saturday".
Forrest buries Jenny under the special tree and visits the grave everyday to keep Jenny updated on the progress of their son, Forrest Jr., in what is a genuinely poignant moment of the film.
Sex - since it is an STD?
And Goody (Minor) - really?
I wrote one for Jenny too!
It's also possible that she got it through sharing needles. We see her with a man who is using injecting in the scene where she stands on the balcony (to the guitar solo from 'Freebird'), although Jenny herself is never seen to be injecting drugs onscreen.
jenny claims she wants to be as famous as a singer? who was it she admired?
Joan Baez
if jenny had aids and slept with forrest, does forrest get infected as well?
Drugs, perhaps?
Joan Baez good what about bobbie dylan. Lol
Put bubba blue's death down too.
Poison.
How can this be Goody (Minor)? She is a main character. Would someone listen to my suggestions? I just want to improve the site.
If Jenny died due to aids, at what point in the movie do we assume she got infected. Is it during her drug abuse phase; which means she had sex with Forrest and may have infected him. (possibly infecting her son as well) Or after having the baby (sparing Forrest and her son).
I don't think she got AIDS, I always thought it was some other disease or just something she got from drugs or an STD. Or if it is AIDS, the film never explicitly states so and I don't think we should state something about a movie as fact if it's not in the movie.
When Forrest returns from his running he is sitting in the bedroom eating a sandwich. On the television the assasination attempt on Ronald Regan is playing. This happened in 1981. At the same time, Forrest gets the letter from Jenny that tells him to go to Savannah, GA. Later, Forrest is sitting with Jenny on the park bench and she says she has a virus, but the doctors don't know what it is. HIV was discovered in 1981. While it is never specifically said, it would probably be fair to say that the "virus" is HIV which causes AIDS.
She of cancer
To the person that said Jenny died of breast cancer.. Read a book. She clearly says she died of a virus and the doctors don't know what it is. Also it is clear she came into contact with the virus after birthing Forrest jr. We mad this clear by the fact neither Forrest or Forrest jr have aids or HIV.
Are you stupid or just lazy?
You know I watched the movie probably a 100 times since I was a little kid (I just never get bored of it...it's on TV right now again, and there's nothing else id rather watch ^^)...I never thought about the scene where Jenny tells Forrest about the virus though until maybe a year ago, and I remember thinking 'oh, a virus that doctors don't know a lot about yet? Some time after Vietnam war (ended '75) so early 80s probably, with HIV being first clinically observed in the US as well in the early 80s and Jenny using drugs n all, well, what else could it be other than aids?
Cancer isn't a virus. It is persumably aids, although that means Forest and Forest Jr. both have aids and will die a horrible,non-treatable death maybe.
Breast cances was not an unknown virus in the '80s. Mostly because it's not a virus.
Neither is AIDS. It's a syndrome.
They didn't know that in 1981 though.
Just because someone has AIDS it does not mean he or she will infect someone he's with. Especially in a heterosexual relationship. So it is very possible that Forrest is fine. And transmission to a baby is also not a definite.