How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Forrest Gump.
Quote #1
FORREST: She wanted me to have the finest education, so she took me to the Greenbow County Central School.
Okay, (1) we're not sure what kind of education Forrest was getting at the Greenbow County Central School in the late 1940s, but we're going to go out on a limb and guess that it wasn't the "finest." And (2), no matter how bad the Alabama public schools were at that point, they were still worthwhile enough for Mrs. Gump to essentially prostitute herself to get Forrest into them. That's how important she thinks Forrest's education is.
Quote #2
PRINCIPAL: I want to show you something, Mrs. Gump. Now, this is normal. Forrest is right here. The state requires a minimum IQ of 80 to attend public school.
It's not the principal's fault, you see. His hands are tied. There's just nothing he can … oh, your husband is "traveling," you say? Well, in that case, let's see what we can do.
When the principal of the Greenbow public school bends the IQ rule to let Forrest into his school on the condition that Mrs. Gump sleep with him, we see just how arbitrary all of these numbers are. Do five IQ points really make such a difference? Does Forrest deserve an education less than someone born with an IQ of 85? And when we say that education is "public," what do we really mean by that?
Quote #3
PRINCIPAL: Mrs. Gump, he's going to have to go to a special school.
Sure, Mrs. Gump has always insisted that Forrest is special. In this case, we're imagining that the special school isn't much more than extended babysitting, plus a little vocational training for kids that the public school system has abandoned. Mrs. Gump is bound and determined not to give up on Forrest.