“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” is a film of psychological troubles and difficulties for almost every main character. Gilbert Grape is a young man living in a small town with big responsibilities. His mother, who is too overweight to leave the house, and Arnie, his younger brother, is mentally impaired. Betty, Gilbert’s mistress, is in distress about her home and sexual life. Becky is the new girl with an adventurous mindset and the only kind of relief for Gilbert. Gilbert grape uses free recall of the sound of sirens throughout the movie. If Gilbert hears sirens and Arnie is not around, he rushed to the water house to find Arnie climbing it. He is extrovert and ignores his inner feelings until they build up and he snaps. Gilbert Grape can be disobedient and randomly leave the house and disappear for a while resembling his older brother, upsetting his mother. Gilbert creates a new phobia of water for his little brother Arnie after leaving him in the bathtub overnight. Arnie was freezing by morning and did not like to swim or bathe after the incident. Gilbert’s mother suffers from a long-term depression that leads to an eating disorder. Events placing her in this depression are her husband killing himself and her oldest son suddenly disappearing and never coming back. Ever since her husband died in the house he built himself, and which they live in, she has not left. She was attached to the house, especially the couch downstairs. She is not able or willing to go outside or even get up and she has been on the couch for 7 years. His mother desperately needs psychotherapy to help cope with her depression and feelings of being an outcast to the town. The town has been a negative social influence on her. Before the two incidents, she was one of the prettiest girls in town but after she gained weight, the town treats her as a joke.
Arnie is the character that is surrounded by aggression the most. In the film, he is being pulled by the hair by his sister and slapped by his brother. Arnie also has a disability causing him to hit himself when he is mad or upset. It seemed easy for the other characters to show signs of aggression toward Arnie because he does not understand how to act. His siblings become frustrated and add positive punishment to try to get him to listen or to relieve their own anger. Although Arnie’s attitude was always happy and not serious, his behavior did not always reflect that. Arnie got into trouble like climbing the town’s water tower and doing other small mischievous things.
Betty is emotionally unstable. She desires sex and attention especially from Gilbert. Her desire becomes so strong that even while bonding with her children, she abruptly tells them to go outside when Gilbert shows up. She uses classical conditioning with Gilbert. When she calls the grocery store for a delivery, he knows it is not really about the groceries but it is about her wanting to have sex. The unconditioned stimulus being the sex. The unconditioned response is Gilbert going over for the sex. The neutral stimulus would be the delivery of the groceries. After so many times of her calling, Gilbert going, and them having sexual relations, he knew once she called they would have sex. Therefore, the grocery deliveries become the conditioned stimulus and he going over is the conditioned response. Betty may have some kind of mental illness or insanity, her husband died a mysterious death, and the townspeople believe she may have murdered him. When asked about her recently deceased husband she shows no remorse and says she misses him but then she does not.
Becky is very introvert; she is a free-spirited hippy type of girl. She says she “does not believe in outside beauty because it does not last. What lasts is what is on the inside”. Becky is one of the few town residents that are not prejudice towards the Grape family. She does not look down upon Arnie and his disability or on Gilbert’s mother for being obese. Becky is pro-social and enjoys being around people. “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” follows characters as they depend on one another and go day by day with their internal struggles. Each struggle seems to affect another person in his or her life. Arnie needs Gilbert but Gilbert wants a life outside of his responsibilities at home. He wants his mother to stop being so lazy and he wants to experience a relationship with Becky. Gilbert has suddenly become the man of the house and at the young age of 24 it was a challenge to care for his family and at the same time have a social life. Becky helps Gilbert find what he wants for himself instead of for others and acquire it, while still caring for Arnie.