Gilbert Grape Essay

What 's Eating Gilbert Grape?
In the 1993 drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Leonardo DiCaprio plays Arnie Grape, a teenager
with an intellectual disability. DiCaprio's well–planned performance creates a believably realistic
portrait of life for someone with autism and intellectual disability, showing the character's own
behaviors as well as reactions by family and community members. Arnie Grape exhibits many of the
behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder as well as intellectual disability in a more general
sense. Intellectual disabilities may impact a person's cognitive functions such as executive functions,
reasoning, and judgement. Arnie climbs the town water tower multiple times even after getting into
trouble each time previously. This shows a lack of reasoning and judgement. When his brother
Gilbert leaves him in the bathtub and explains what to do to bathe himself, Arnie is not able to
follow the instructions, resulting in him spending the night shivering in the cold bath water. This
lack of executive functioning abilities helped to make the character believable. Arnie also showed
some of the key social–behavioral traits of autism. One of Arnie's physical movements, hand
flapping, is a stereotypical repetitive behavior present in some people with autism. Arnie also
exhibits communication issues in his lack of ability in the pragmatic use of language. When Gilbert
first drives Becky home from the store, Arnie, sitting in the middle seat, does not give Becky any
personal space,
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What 's Eating Gilbert Grape? Essay
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Sarah Chun
New York University
Abstract
In Lasse HallstrГ¶m's film, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, the struggles of living with a mental
illness is displayed through Arnie Grape, the protagonist's younger brother. Grape's disability is
never discussed in the movie, as the movie focuses on Gilbert Grape, the principal character, and his
struggles with life and family responsibilities. With the use of various resources, such as a
psychology textbook (Lilienfeld 2014), credible health associations' websites, and The Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DMS–5), one is capable of analyzing the nature of
Arnie's disorder and make a valid assumption that he is dealing with a mental illness: autism. Autism
is a spectrum disorder characterized by "various degrees in difficulties in social interaction, verbal
and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors" ("Learning About Autism," n.d.). It
becomes clear, through Arnie Grape's social and cognitive impairment, that he has Autism, despite
the fact that the film does not clearly state that he has a mental illness.
What's Eating Gilbert Grape One of the most obvious suggestions that Arnie has autism is his social
impairment. The DMS–5, "an official system for classifying individuals with mental disorders
(Lilienfeld, 2014)," states how the mental illness, autism, "[can impair] the ability to change
communication to match context or the needs of the

Whats Eating Gilbert Grape Essay
574 words
Write a 1–2 page essay that explores the paradox that when the film ends, Gilbert is in exactly the
same place as when it began, yet he has traveled a long way.
What's eating Gilbert Grape is a very simple yet meaningful movie. There is no clear cut message
that points out the faults of society and it may be hard to interpret a message because the movie is
set around everyday life. However the one thing that is clear, is that
Gilbert realises throughout the movie that his life is going nowhere and he must break the everyday
routine. Gilbert sees through the people he calls his friends and realises that they influence his
decisions to stay. He sees how they fill their days with hope and talk of something new and small
town...show more content...
Becky is the main source of motivation Gilbert has for leaving
Endora. She is constantly telling him of the carefree life she has of moving from one town to
another and how good it is to not be tied down to your own life. He is also romantically interested
in Becky which is another driving force behind his ambition to leave and follow her lifestyle.
Unlike his relationship with Mrs. Carver, Gilbert has a genuine love for Becky which is a sign of
his increased maturity and changed attitude towards a relationship. Gradually he becomes interested
in the maps he sees on Becky's wall and the opportunities he can persue with her.
Ultimately it is the death of his mother that is the real reason for his moving on. The mothers
passing away, although tragic, is a great burden removed from Gilbert and the
Grape family. He no longer has the obligation to stay and look after her and provide for the
family. He is no longer responsible for the family and the work that comes with holding it together.
He doesn't have to worry about constant repairs of the house and keeping it a secret from the
mother. The family has split up and he is now free to go his own way too. There is no guilt in
leaving Endora behind.
Gilbert has traveled a very long way since the beginning of the story. His life has turned completely
around for the better and will never be the same again. Gilbert has traveled a

What's Eating Gilbert Grape Essay
"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" has multitudinous psychological factors throughout the movie, mostly
consisting with an overly attached relationship with food and consumption. In other words, this film
is centered around food with Gilbert being swallowed by it at home, thanks to Bonnie's excessive
eating, Annie's unreasonable amounts of cooking, and when he attends to his job everyday. Gilbert
is being gnawed away through his life, family and work, because of the repetitive cycle food puts
him through. Food becomes more than a nutritious substance that is vital for every human being, but
a death–threatening addiction that is affecting Gilbert and his family.
Throughout the whole film there are hints of Gilbert being swallowed by his life, piece by piece.
In other words, Gilbert is surrounded by food everywhere he goes; at home and at work. For
example, at home, he is encompassed by his mother Bonnie's, unnatural eating habits; due to her
large figure caused by depression. This was caused by her husband's death in the basement of their
house, which resulted in her consuming large amounts of food to fill the gaping hole of her...show
more content...
After doing research it is most likely that the author choose grapes as their last name to portray
the Grape family best. In simpler terms, similar to the Grape family, grapes come in bunches;
meaning that they come in groups and stay in it until they are plucked off or shrivel off.
However, the main connection with grapes and the name Grape in "What's Eating Gilbert
Grape?", would be the fact that those fruit grow on vines, and once they are unhinged from the
vines they no longer have a source of life. To be concise, Gilbert's father's death was the 'vine
cutting' of the Grape family. As shown, the author precisely chose Grape as their last name to show
that even metaphorically, Gilbert is bonded to food like a cancer, gnawing away any hope of

Problems In What's Eating Gilbert Grape
After watching "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" it's clear that Gilbert has a lot of problems and
things on his mind at all times. Most of Gilbert's problems come from his family. So this begs the
question, who or what exactly is eating Gilbert Grape?
To start, the least significant of Gilbert's problems was his sister Amy. At the start of the movie
Gilbert says Amy was their mother, since she made all of the meals and took care of the family. Amy
doesn't interfere with Gilbert during the movie.
Ellen was slightly more of problem than her sister. Towards the start of the movie we see Arnie try
and climb the water tower and Amy toss him off the ladder and making him bleed in the process.
Also Gilbert tried to run her over after she gave him...show more content...
There are several reasons for this. One is that Gilbert is the only person who takes care of Arnie.
Another reason is Arnie's obsession of trying to climb the town's water tower. At the beginning of the
movie we see Arnie trying to climb the tower only getting half–way up the ladder when Gilbert gets
him down. Also during Gilbert and Becky's talks Arnie runs off and successful climbs the tower,
which gets him arrested and taken to jail. Another example for Arine is the day before his
birthday, we see Amy making a cake which after running around the house Arnie bumps into Amy
thus making her drop the cake and making Gilbert go get a new cake from FoodLand. When he
leaves the store he is greeted by his boss from Lamson's Grocery who doesn't like FoodLand. At
home, Gilbert puts the new cake in the fridge and tells Arine not to eat it. While blowing up
balloons, Gilbert looks towards the kitchen where he sees Arine eating the new cake. When his
sisters see what Arine is doing, they start to give up on Arnie's birthday party. Gilbert, who is now
outraged, forces Arine upstairs to take a bath. After not cooperating Gilbert hits him several times.
Noticing he broke his policy, "nobody touched Arine", Gilbert runs off into the night, followed by
Arine and his

What's Eating Gilbert Grape Character Analysis
The compelling novel, What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges, incorporates many
relationships. The main character, 24–year old Gilbert Grape, narrates this novel. Gilbert is the main
caregiver to his dysfunctional family. He works to keep the roof over his obese mother, stressed
older sister, Amy, ungrateful younger sister, Ellen, and mentally challenged younger brother, Arnie.
With all of the unwanted responsibility, Gilbert does not have many relationships. The ones that he
does have are not meaningful and sturdy. The most interesting of these relationships are with Mrs.
Carver and Becky. These relationships, though they can be looked upon skeptically, are widely
different in respect to what these characters mean to Gilbert and what...show more content...
Becky is a fifteen–year–old girl who is staying with her grandmother for the summer. When Gilbert
first sees her, her beauty astounds him, "She has black hair, thick and full. It drapes her
shoulders. She has legs. Oh my. From where I'm sitting, she is not to be believed. She is the
moon" (Hedges 40). He is automatically attracted to her. Their relationship is thought provoking.
On Gilbert is drawn to her out of lust and what she represents to him, hope. He is hopeful that she
will see him in a way that no one has. He wants her to see him as a better man than he perceives
himself to be. On Becky's side however, she wants to understand Gilbert and surpass his barriers he
has built up over the years. Throughout their interaction together, Becky is also trying to help
Gilbert open up and show emotions that he has suppressed due to his terrible childhood. She
succeeds by making him say good–bye to his old high school and writing down what happened the
fateful day his father committed suicide. She drew out his emotions by pushing him over the edge
with the using the mirror to see his hatred, "Looking to the periphery I see Becky is holding a big,
round mirror, and the face I'm looking at is my face. "See. See what I mean. See the hate."'(Hedges
274). Though not directly, Becky made him lose control and act out aggressively by stomping on the
mirror and lashing out at Arnie. Even though Gilbert's actions were

Gilbert Grape Analysis: Family Dynamics
Gilbert Grape Analysis: Hardship and Triumph
Natalie Ckuj
FCNS 284; Summer 2014
Gilbert Grape Analysis: Hardship & Triumph
Abstract
The film, What's Eating Gilbert Grape revolves around a single–parent household and four children.
The narration is from Gilbert's perspective, the third eldest brother of five, and his transition into
adulthood as well as figuring out his life goals. Due to psychological stress on the children's mother
and financial hardship, the children have more responsibility than most children their age, and this
responsibility interferes with their goals for the future (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?). The content
areas of focus are, Gilbert's quest to find his purpose in life, as well as a healthy romantic...show
more content...
Gilbert and Becky were initially physically and sexually attracted to one another, and sharing several
kisses as their attraction grew for one another, this portion of their relationship representing passion.
Gilbert became intimate with Becky by sharing deep thoughts about his father's suicide and his
struggle to take care of family members. Prior to meeting Becky, he did not share thoughts about his
familial issues, though they impacted his life in many ways. Becky also opened up to Gilbert about
her parent's divorce and goals. As their intimacy grew, they became comfortable with one another
and developed a mutual understanding of commitment. They were committed in the short term
through Gilbert asking Becky to come to Arnie's 18th birthday party, and Becky committing to this
request, depicting loyalty within the relationship. Another sign of short term commitment within
their relationship was Gilbert introducing Becky to his mother. If he did not have strong feelings for
Becky, he likely may have not introduced them to one another. In the long term, Gilbert and Becky
eventually stay together and travel with one another, illustrating their love did not end after Gilbert's
mother's death (What's Eating Gilbert Grape?). Sternberg's triangular theory of love (as cited by
Seccombe, 2012) solidly represents three

Analysis of the Film What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Sharon K. Chapman
Tarleton State University
Abstract
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Analysis of the Film What's Eating Gilbert Grape
The Grapes are a poor, Midwestern family living in an isolated part of their community. The father
of the Grape family successfully completed suicide by hanging in the families' basement. Bonnie
the mother is morbidly obese, suffering from depression and is unable to care for herself or her
family. There are three brothers and two sisters, the oldest brother Larry "escaped" and is not living
in the home. The youngest brother Arnie is intellectually challenged and requires constant
supervision. Gilbert is the second oldest brother, and has become the father figure of the family. The
oldest sister Amy acts as the surrogate mother. The youngest sibling in the family is Ellen, she is a
typical egocentric teenager. Ellen has learned what buttons to push to set off explosions in the family.
The stress that is occurring in the family is causing

Essay about What's Eating Gilbert Grape
What's Eating Gilbert Grape What's Eating Gilbert Grape portrays a family that is dealing with
the trials, tribulations, and also great times of having a member with a disability. The Grape
family consists of Gilbert, Ellen, Amy, Mama, and of course, Arnie. The Grape family lives in an
isolated town of Endora in a house that seems to be in shambles since their father died. In the
beginning, Gilbert's voiceover states that "living in Endora is like dancing to no music," which one
can definitely relate to after viewing this touching film. Gilbert Grape is a young man that has been
impeded by more burdens than any man ought to have in an entire lifetime. He stocks shelves and
delivers groceries for a local store, Lamson's Grocery,...show more content...
His oldest sister, Amy, is a verycaring woman that tries to take on many responsibilities herself and
the youngest sister Ellen, who is only fifteen, has many issues with her family that she is trying to
overcome, as well. Becky, a young girl that traveled into town with her grandmother and their
caravan found romance with Gilbert and a certain connection with Arnie accordingly. Arnie is not
your average boy; he is mentally challenged and was not expected to live to see his tenth birthday,
let alone, his eighteenth, which he surpasses in the movie. Arnie is associated with many heights in
the movie as he is regularly seen dangling from the roof, climbing trees, and of course, his ritual of
scaling the water tower. Although Arnie loves the heights, he can not seem to conquer the depths as
he will not venture to the basement of the house. "I don't want to go down there, Gilbert; Dad's
down there," thus voicing the repressed fear that no one in the family will, or can put into words.
Arnie's water tower escapades are a source of great aggravation to the police, yet are greeted by the
locals with an understanding of occasion and courteous applause when his feet are firmly planted
back on the ground. Arnie obtains a fear of water when Gilbert abandons him in the bathtub for the
night, and does not over come his apprehension until he flees to Becky after a fight he had with

What's Eating Gilbert Grape
In the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the idea of adversity is
clearly shown. The Grapes aren't your typical family, after the mother spirals down the staircase
of depression, the five children are forced to grow up and mature as they now have the
responsibility of looking after their mother. Endora is the town in which the story is set and the
children are trapped inside as their mother hasn't left the house in seven years. Gilbert Grape is
faced with a number of adversities, he has to live with an obese mother that demands him to
always do better and take responsibility for his family, he has to protect and care for his little
brother Arnie who is mentally slow and Gilbert is trapped in Endora due to all...show more content...
Hallstrom uses camerawork such as low angle, long shots to show how far Arnie is up the water
tower. Point of view shots and reaction shots are also used to show Gilbert's reaction to seeing
Arnie up the water tower. Once Arnie comes down Gilbert tells the police officer that this is the
last time, Arnie is childlike and repeats Gilbert's words to the officer saying that this was the last
time but a few seconds later Arnie forgets what he told the officer and says, " I want to go back up
there". Lasse Hallstrom uses dialogue to show the challenge that Gilbert is faced with, Arnie
often moans like a child and always wants his own way. It proves to be difficult for Gilbert to
always have Arnie under control. Gilbert is trapped in Endora but he dreams of being free with
Becky who he starts to fall in love with. She shares her stories with him about her travelling the
world and having the freedom to go where she wants. Gilbert longs for this and almost brings
himself to leave Endora but he couldn't go through with it because of all the pressure and
responsibility on him. Lasse Hallstrom uses imagery and camera work to show that Gilbert longs to
be free, the film cuts to a shot of Gilbert with the sky as a background symbolising that the

The movie that I watched for my first movie review is called "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" by
Lasse Hallstrom, released in December 17, 1993. This took place in Iowa, There were few main
characters in the movie named Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp), Arnie Grape (Leonardo DiCaprio)
and Becky (Juliette Lewis). Gilbert Grape was a young man who looks after his younger brother
Arnie and the rest of his family in this small town called Endora. Gilbert struggles to look after
everyone in his family because there are lots of problems and sometimes he can't take it, so he
goes away for a bit and then come back. I kind of dislike this movie because it's full of drama in
the family and very emotional, especially about Arnie and his disability. "What's Eating Gilbert
Grape" strong central conflict is Arnie's disability and Gilbert's mother obese disease. The
characters in the movie do seem believable because they are very "used" with Arnie's and their
mother's diseases. They (the kids of the family) usually help Arnie and their mother everyday to
feed, clean and everything else for them. The dialogue felt natural because it's something that they do
everyday and they know what to do once someone needs help,...show more content...
I recommend this movie if you want to see something sad or something interesting about what
some families may have to go through if they have a member in their family, just like Arnie
Grape. I prefer you to wait until this movie is on Netflix or on videos online because it's not worth
your money to spend on in the cinema to watch this movie. Sometimes, in some scenes it could be
pretty slow and you would like to get out until some exciting parts comes in. Although, I kind of
enjoyed this movie, I'm glad that I get to watch it for probably the first and last time because I have
learned some things from this

Relationship Essay (Gilbert Grape)
In the film What's Eating Gilbert Grape? directed by Lasse Halstrom, one important relationship is
between Gilbert (the main character) and his mother, Bonnie. They are always in constant turmoil,
and hardly ever see eye to eye. Towards the end of the film their attitudes change towards each
other, we see their relationship strain and then become extremely close. This is important because
they don't have a real mother, son relationship so this is worked on during the film. Gilbert is not
an honest, reliable son; he looks after Arnie, but does not fulfil his duties as a son. He is constantly
making fun or sarcastic comments about his mother. For example, Tucker, one of his best friends, is
trying to have a pleasant, well mannered...show more content...
Every time that they meet Becky insists on meeting his mother. Gilbert is too embarrassed about
Becky meeting her because he doesn't now how Becky will react. He finally gives in and
introduces Becky to his Mother. Just before Momma dies she talks to Gilbert and says "You're my
knight is shimmering armour. Did you know that?" Gilbert replies by saying "I think you mean
shining." Then Momma says "No, shimmering. You shimmer, and

Gilbert Grape Family
The Grape Family live in a small town called Endora. The Grape family, just like any other family,
had to overcome many challenges. However, unlike any other family, the Grape family's challenges
were unique in ways that not only affected them, but the entire town. Given their situation, the Grape
family were able to cope and endure, even without their community's support. The Grape family as a
group generally had a tainted reputation. After Gilbert Grape's Father had died, his mother, Bonnie
Grape, had never left the house. Gilbert's mother gained a huge amount of weight in the process. As
a result of never leaving the house, or the couch for that matter, and gaining so much weight, she
became a huge burden for the entire family. Everyone...show more content...
He was also pressured constantly to do better, despite the fact that he was taking care of Arnie and
handling the house repairs mostly by himself. Gilbert barely got by, but towards the end of the
movie he was able to get by with therapeutic visits to a girl named Becky, which he was involved
with romantically. Gilbert wasn't the only one with problems though. Amy Grape, like Gilbert,
has a lot of responsibilities around the house. She cooks and cleans and is the overall the mother
figure, even though Bonnie is still around. Amy becomes very stressed nearing Arnie's 18th
birthday, this is evident when she drops Arnie's cake on the floor. Amy bursts out crying, repeating
out loud that she can't make another one. Eventually she copes with the stress of the running the
household after Arnie has his party and everyone has a great time. Ellen Grape had to deal with
the same kind of stress as her sister, but at a smaller scale, only dealing with the decorations for
Arnie's party. She coped in the same way as Amy. Bonnie's problem was a little bit different than the
rest of her family's. After her husband's suicide, had become unmotivated to leave her home and as a
result she had become extremely overweight. Towards the end

Gilbert Grape Case Study
The place is the tiny Endora, where Gilbert Grape stays with his dreams, challenges and concern.
He serves as caretaker for his mother and siblings following his father's suicide and his older
brother's escape. His main concern is his morbidly obese mother who hasn't left the house in seven
years and his mentally disabled brother, Arnie. Who keep climbing the water tank of the town so
Gilbert has to look after him 24 hour. This put him in struggles with doing what is right for his family
and living his own life.
Everything was going on the same routine until Becky arrived to the town; she came with new
thought and hope for gilbert.
3. Definition:
Mental retardation is considered to be old label of diagnosis, according to The American Psychiatric

In this paper, there will be a diagnosis of a character named Arnie from the movie "What's Eating
Gilbert Grape?" (HallstrГ¶m, 1993). Clear clinical descriptions of the said diagnosis will be given,
followed by a describing how the movie character fits the diagnosis. Then, empirically supported
treatments for the diagnosis will be provided, otherwise known as evidence–based practices, which
are given to the specific disorder that Arnie has in the movie. Lastly, two treatments to relieve the
character's distress will also be given. To begin, it is safe to say that Arnie is portrayed in the movie
to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to the DSM–V, autism falls into five brief
descriptions. Firstly, those who are on the spectrum lack the ability for proper social communication
and social interaction. They fall short in social–emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communicative
behaviors, and the ability to understand relationships or lack of interest in peers. Second, people with
autism have limited, recurring patterns of behavior, activities, or interests. In essence, motor
movement is repeated, there is a firm devotion to routines, an intense focus on interests, and
hyperactivity or hyporeactivity is present. Third, the DSM–V states that symptoms must be present
in the early developmental period. These symptoms are the expected clinical presentation of autism
in kids and teens, given that the symptoms are shown early on and not later. Fourth, the said
symptoms must

In the movie "What's eating Gilbert Grape", Gilbert, who is also an important character in this
movie. He has a little bit long brown hair and a high nose. He is good–looking and he isn't very tall.
He has rough face with blue eyes. He is strong but thin. He has a family and he worked to feed this
family. He is a strong character in this film. Although he has a negative life but he keeps going. He
is a kind man but sometimes he could not stand that he became violent and helpless.
He takes care of Arnie who is his younger brother with development issue all the time. If Arnie runs
out of his view, Arnie makes trouble and he needs to spend more time to stop him doing that such as
Arnie always climbs the water tower. He worked in a little shop,...show more content...
As Becky appeared in his life, he became more optimistic and out–going. He soon fell in love with
Becky. Gilbert can easily calm down and he can think over things in reasonable way. The other one
is momma's death. His mother died suddenly that he had no time to accept and face it. Gilbert's
mother was an obese woman, she never left the house for seven years. She immersed in sorrow
because of her husband's death. It's lazy of her to sleep on the bed so she did anything on the sofa
such as having meals and watching TV. She is moody and she can easily became angry and
nervous when she could not see Arnie. Ellen noticed him there will be a lot of people will come to
their house and say something about their family, then he decided to burn the house with the dead
body of momma. Mother's death made him had to bear the responsibility of this family. In his
family, I think he is the bread–earner in his family. He always lives under stress. His father's death
influenced him too, he wanted to be as strong as his father that he can protect this family. From that
time on, he must be powerful enough to feed this family. There were many things about relationships
in family, homage, love happened to him that made him big

Assessment of Gilbert Grape Essay
I.Identifying Information
1.Client's Name:Arnie Grape
2.Sex:Male
3.Date of Birth:July 16, 1987
4.Age:17
5.Address:300 Hugh Hunter Rd., Endora, Iowa 42262
6.Phone Number:(931) 555–1212
7.Occupation:unemployed
8.Family Members:MotherBonnie Grape54unemployed FatherAlbert Grapedeceased SisterEllen
Grape16works at ice cream shop SisterAmy Grape34unemployed SisterLarry Grape32flight attendant
BrotherGilbert Grape24works at a grocery store
II.Reason for Social Work Involvement
Arnie Grape was referred to this agency by Sheriff Jerry Farrell of the Endora Police Department.
He was concerned about Arnie's continued lack of supervision. Sheriff Farrell stated that...show more
content...
Bonnie was not at home when this occurred; she was taking Arnie to have some tests done in
Motley, Iowa, about a twenty minute drive from home. Since Albert's death, Bonnie's weight has
skyrocketed, and she has become the joke of the town. Some of those who used to court her took up
donations to help her see a dietician. The donated money was intersected by Amy and Gilbert before
Bonnie found out. There have been other incidences where her weight was the subject of township
intervention. Bonnie has also stopped attending church after the minister preached about suicide the
Sunday after Albert's funeral.
Albert Grape passed away 17 years ago by hanging himself in his basement. His father battled
alcoholism and supposedly passed away from excessive drinking. Albert had a brother, but he
passed in World War II. Albert's mother is still alive, and has been living in a nursing home for the
past 8 years. Albert was a kind and warm person, and got along with everyone.
Amy Grape, 34, is the oldest of the siblings and was 17 years old when Albert committed suicide.
She has since taken Bonnie's role of running the house. Larry, 32, is the second to oldest and was 15

when Albert passed. She was the one that discovered the body and called 911. During that time, and
to this day, she acts nonchalant about his death. She currently works as a flight attendant and only
comes home for special

What's Eating Gilbert Grape Summary
"What's Eating Gilbert's Grape" directed by Lasse Hallstrom delves into elucidating the various
effects of three development concepts: genetics, the effects of environmental influences on an
individual's development, and the effects of developmental influences on young adults and
adolescents. Michael Rutter, in his article, "The Interplay of Nature, Nurture and Developmental
Influences," further emphasizes the interplays between nature, nurture and developmental influences
to elaborate the multifactorial connections between the effects of different influences on childhood
development. In "What's Eating Gilbert's Grape," Hallstrom demonstrates how not only are genetics
environment and developmental influences intertwined with one another; but...show more content...
As seen in Arnie, genetics disabilities can cause difficulties in certain parts of life, such as language,
learning and independent living. Indirect genetic effects can also occur due to environmental
influences, or "gene–environmental correlations and interactions." Issues such as depression and
generalized anxiety can influence a person to "shape and select" their environment, further
influencing other people's responses to them, or the social environment. While some people are
more resistant to psychosocial stresses, others, like Bonnie, are more susceptible, which would
explain her depression after her husband's death and her obesity in response to stress. After her
husband's death, Bonnie not only gave up in life, becoming obese, but also eventually became
unable to take care of her own

Gilbert Grape Relationships
In the novel, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, by Peter Hedges, Gilbert Grape, the protagonist, is
twenty–four years old, living in the small town of Endora Iowa with his family. Throughout the
book Gilbert is involved in two relationships that are different in many aspects. The first
relationship is with Mrs. Carver, a married woman with two children. Gilbert's relationship with
Mrs. Carver has been ongoing for seven years. The relationship is based solely on sexual activity
and is a toxic relationship for Gilbert. Gilbert's second relationship is with Becky, an intriguing
fifteen year old girl who is staying in Endora with her grandmother. Gilbert and Becky pursue an
interesting relationship with one another but seem to have different objectives....show more content...
Both relationships help Gilbert to cope with his life in Endora. His relationship with Becky and
his affair with Mrs. Carver are meaningful to Gilbert's in that they give Gilbert a sense of
pride."I've never won a prize or a blue ribbon or a plaque, but as I set the can in it's new home, next
to the styrofoam cup filled with Becky's watermelon seeds, I think that maybe, finally, I've won
something" (Hedges

Gilbert Grape Case Study Essay
Family Overview
The Grapes are a family living in a rural and economically depressed community. The members of
the Grape family presently residing in the familial home consists of biological birth mother
Bonnie Grape, who is unemployed and 54 years of age. Amy Grape, the eldest child, Unemployed
and currently 34 years of age. Gilbert Grape, the eldest male sibling who is employed at a local
grocery store and is currently 24, years of age. Arnie Grape is Gilbert's younger brother and is
presently turning 18 years of age. Arnie reaching his 18th birthday is considered to be somewhat of
a triumph by the Grape family, as Arnie suffers from a debilitating medical condition that has not
only kept him from achieving age appropriate...show more content...
Gilbert has stated in session "my father was dead long before he ever killed himself". Gilbert feels
that his father had first abandoned him emotionally and then abandoned him again (physically) by
committing suicide. The events pertaining to Gilbert's father's death appear to have left a marked
impression upon him. Gilbert has displayed a pattern of situational inappropriate affect while
interacting with both family and friends. Gilbert may be experiencing grief and depression issues
that he has up to this point been unable to adequately resolve.
Research indicates that there is a correlation between childhood parental figure loss and adult
depression. Studies show the strongest causal relationship occurring when the child experiences
the parental loss between five and eight years of age. The elevated risk factor of parental loss that
was experienced by Gilbert as well as the previously described symptoms of depression that Gilbert
exhibits are strong indicators of Gilbert suffering from prolonged depression (Coffino, 2009).
Gilbert is in all likelihood suffering from Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his father's suicide.
While many bereaved children exhibit signs of Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder, bereaved children
who lost their parents suddenly were much more likely to exhibit

Gilbert Grape Essay

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Gilbert Grape Essay