I know multiple people may have touched upon this subject, but it is a very relatable topic, so you can't hog all the good ideas.
Innocence. If described in one word, Billy Pilgrim is innocent. If described in one word, Forrest Gump is innocent. Harmless, loyal, innocent. That's 3 words that describe both of these fellows. I could go on all day. Billy Pilgrim is Forrest Gump. Or should I say that Forrest Gump is Billy Pilgrim.
They share the same personality. They both do not know what lies ahead, yet they plan their lives out so well. Nobody knows what lies ahead. Life is a mystery. Oh no, I'm rambling, broke rule number 2. Anyway, they both begin to use luck to fulfill their life. In different ways, however. Billy uses luck just to scrape by. He goes with the flow and marries a fat daughter of a rich optometrist. Forrest, on the other hand, uses luck to obtain a gold star in every category. He becomes a millionaire with shrimp sales, obtains a scholarship to college for running quickly despite his IQ of 75, and obtains the Medal of Honor for his transgressions in Vietnam.
They both do exactly what they are told, but they get different results. Billy gets dumped on by his superiors and Forrest moves on to excel in his next task. They both are definitely loyal, but for different rewards. For Billy, its just to live his life, while Forrest does it because he is told to. Even ask him, you'll get the same response. As well, neither will ever hurt a fly, unless you tell them to.
Their personalities are so similar, but, and I definitely agree with Tareq on this one, their attitudes are completely different. In my eyes, Billy is definitely depressed, and because Vonnegut writes his character as though free will controls the future, Billy gets a crappy life. Forrest on the other hand is fairly happy with his life because fate gives him a happy life, he has luck on his side.
This is Chris the Butcher signing off.
So it goes.
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