What's Eating Gilbert Grape
...permarket in town. The movie begins with the “yearly ritual” of Gilbert and Arnie watching the caravans that pass along the road. Gilbert’s adversity seems to have started when his father hung himself seventeen years ago in their basement, which in turn drove his mother to obesity and a life confined to only their home. His mother has become a “burden” on him and he feels ashamed and humiliated by her. Gilbert even regards to his mother as “a beached whale,” and at one point lifts a young boy to the window to experience the sight of her. Gilbert’s mother is not his only complication; he is having an aimless affair with a frustrated housewife, Betty Carver, whose rash sexual demands have placed much apprehension on him. Gilbert’s brother Arnie, who is mentally challenged, needs constant supervision, which places many ongoing responsibilities on Gilbert, as well. His oldest sister, Amy, is a very caring 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 f...