---
title: "Dana Edwards I didn't say that Jenny was obligated to love Forest.  I..."
date: 2023-11-22
source: facebook
type: comment
context: "Archer T. Ships replied to Michael Nolan's comment."
fb_link: "https://www.facebook.com/dyi/l/?l=AYPlJ2WnCLidWBHRnL14oABSXorezB6lYYDpVQIvPhAsy5DUhONNHuQFxAMGmY88XvALiwyP4RgYikKt18uEwMQeXpLkrB10nlHNLwp7VCiQwXWg_wWCNdPs85tnVMlQLRclaiJTA2SLP9P1gsFd5yeEr4xw8RS0CiTOmeArhURqvmRj2Od5NxitJ8CXttj_dyYEfwgo1Ot6&s=519"
---

# Dana Edwards I didn't say that Jenny was obligated to love Forest.  I...

*November 22, 2023 — Comment Archer T. Ships replied to Michael Nolan's comment.*

Dana Edwards I didn't say that Jenny was obligated to love Forest.  I agree that no one is owed any form of affection. I'm objecting to this claim: "Becoming a mother was something that helped her realize who had been there for her all along, and having a child helped her understand what love was. " Maybe this is true.  We don't know her internal state.  However, her behavior is also consistent with being a selfish, manipulative parasite who only "loved" Forrest when she was dying, and had no one else to turn to. >  So it's not that she was evil, She kidnapped his son, and hid his existence from him for several years.  That's a pretty evil act in my book. > Give love to Jenny (or women like her) if you love them, regardless of if they'll love you back because you can't control that anyway. To my way of thinking, love without action is just cheap talk.  Real love requires spending limited resources (time, money, energy) on the people you love.  So you can only truly love a few people.  It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I don't recall Jenny doing a single thing for Forest that wasn't just some cheap talk. And sure, you can't control whether someone loves you.  But you can control whether you waste time, money, and energy on people who don't care about you, and will never reciprocate.  You can choose to only lavish love on people who will reciprocate in kind.  IMO, the latter is the better path.