She soon develops individual relationships with Arnie and Gilbert, the latter a romance. After she sees Gilbert coax Arnie down from the water tower, she becomes more interested in him and the entire Grape family. Becky is characterized as worldly and adventurous, and she is attracted to others who share her same lust for life. Beckyīecky arrives in Endora after the camper she is driving with her grandmother breaks down. Her death marks a new era in the lives of the Grape children. Following his birthday, Bonnie passes away peacefully in her sleep. Her dissociative behavior reaches its peak when she decides to stay inside during Arnie's birthday party. She begins to see how she is perceived by her community, and, as a result, becomes even more withdrawn and self-scrutinizing. When she leaves the house for the first time in order to rescue Arnie from his arrest, she truly becomes aware of her appearance. She is loving and sweet, and she is especially sensitive to Arnie. Additionally, Gilbert and Amy, the two oldest siblings, have taken on parental roles as a result of her inability to provide for her children.īonnie is self-conscious and hyper-aware of the effect she has on her family. As a result of her condition, the other members of the Grape family are forced to be her caregivers. Her depression has resulted in her becoming morbidly obese and home-ridden. After her husband committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement seven years ago, Bonnie developed severe depression. Bonnie Grapeīonnie Grape is the mother of Gilbert, Amy, Ellen, and Arnie. In this way, members of the Grape family-and Gilbert especially-are able to learn from Arnie and actions.
When Gilbert has difficulty expressing his vulnerability and thus pushes himself away from Becky, Arnie reaches out, eventually bringing the two closer together. Throughout the film, Arnie develops his own relationship with Becky. As a result, he often becomes hysterical and, at times, combative. However, Arnie has difficulty understanding the effects of his behavior. He outwardly expresses his love for his family, and Bonnie and his siblings reciprocate with tenderness. That latter activity is particularly worrisome to his town's community, and it culminates in Arnie's arrest in the latter half of the film.Īrnie is generally happy and goofy. Arnie enjoys heights, and he can often be found hiding in the branches of the tree in his family's yard or climbing Endora's water tower. Arnie is entirely dependent on Gilbert, and he accompanies his older brother wherever he goes. His birthday is a remarkable feat, and his family carefully plans his birthday party in order to celebrate. Due to his developmental delay, doctors thought that Arnie would die before he reached adulthood. During the period narrated in the film, Arnie turns eighteen.
#Gilbert grape how to
He learns to show compassion rather than hate and how to find the balance between taking time for himself and making time for others.Īrnie is Gilbert's younger brother.
As his relationship with Becky grows, Gilbert is forced to consider how he treats himself and those around him.
However, Gilbert finds a way of escaping his stressful life in Endora when he meets Becky, a young girl traveling through town with her grandmother. Though he appears relatively unenthusiastic about the affair, he is always worried that he is going to be discovered and punished by Mr. Gilbert has an affair with Betty Carver, a mother and wife who lives in Endora. As the story progresses, Gilbert becomes increasingly torn between his own search for independence and his family's reliance on him. Gilbert has difficulty processing his intense emotions, and his behavior often becomes explosive. Although Gilbert enjoys Arnie's company, he undoubtedly feels the burden his younger places on him-it is his responsibility to supervise and run after his brother when he gets into trouble. His main role is to care for Arnie, his developmentally delayed brother. Following his father's suicide and his mother's spiral into depression, Gilbert supports his family both financially and emotionally. The titular protagonist of the film, Gilbert is a 24-year-old grocery clerk.