What's Eating Gilbert Grape Character Analysis

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What 's eating Gilbert Grape (Hallström 1993) is classic American movie that deals with a family that is down on their luck. When watching this movie, it is easy to see topics and themes related to this class such as stress, autism, developmental disability, depression and obesity. The movie revolves particularly around a poor family, primarily a stressed out character named Gilbert who has essentially become a father figure after his biological father had committed suicide. Gilbert takes care of his almost 18-year-old brother who is developmentally disabled. They live in a poor town in Iowa, where there is not much hope for young person, and in addition to all these issues, Gilbert and the whole family has to take care of their morbidly obese …show more content…

He is perhaps the posterchild for stress. Stuck at a dead-end job, longing for freedom, but unable to do so because he is the main caregiver for his brother, he does a remarkable job of showing patience when dealing with a developmentally disabled person. However, as a stressed out individual, his relationships tend to suffer, as he is riddled with frustration and thinks very negatively about himself. As the primary caregiver for his younger sibling, this is to be expected. Caregivers of physically or mentally disabled family members are at risk for chronic stress. Spouses who care for a disabled partner are particularly vulnerable to a range of stress-related health threats, including influenza, depression, and heart disease. Caring for a spouse who has even minor disabilities can lead to severe stress (Harvey …show more content…

As Dr. Ceballos explained it in lecture, the need for metabolic fuels is continuous, but food intake is episodic; consequently, energy intake and expenditure are never quite balanced. After a meal, there is a surplus of energy that must be stored for later use (Ceballos 2016). The fat cells usually take on the storage duties and vicious cycle ensues. Eating more leads to surplus of energy that will get stored as fat. Additionally, there is a chance Bonnie’s condition maybe hormonal. The hormone PYY3-36 is released by intestinal cells. This small peptide level increases after a meal to lower the appetite (satiety) signal (Ceballos 2016). This PYY3-36 acts on hypothalamic appetite control mechanism. PYY3-36 is very low in obese people, causing them to feel hungry. Dr. Ceballos discussed stress hormones such as cortisol. The release of cortisol can boost abdominal fat and may be the primary connection between stress and weight gain. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid. These hormones, along with insulin, appear to be responsible for stress-related food cravings (McLaren Health

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