Forrest is the protagonist of the novel. As an adult, his IQ is somewhere near 70, but in some areas he has savant-like intelligence. He is able to beat master chess players because he can see the patterns on the board. He can do NASA-level mathematical formulas because they make sense to specific parts of his mind. He is physically coordinated and incredibly strong, even for his large size. Most importantly, he is kind throughout the novel. He never seeks out his adventures or glories, but rather, they seem to find him, because he is open to new opportunities and is always looking for ways to help people.

Jenny is Forrest’s love interest. Besides his mother, she is the person he has known the longest. They meet as children and have known each other for thirty years when they meet in Savannah near the novel’s end. Jenny is a freespirit who throws herself into various activist causes and a multitude of unharmonious relationships with men. Forrest is the one man in her life who never treats anyone with malice, and who never reduces her to what he can get from her. It is impossible for them not to love each other, and she shows that he has all of the most desirable qualities in a person, except for his limited IQ.