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Attachment theory vignettes
Character analysis what's eating gilbert grape
Character analysis what's eating gilbert grape
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Examples of human lifespan development theories are evident throughout many popular Hollywood movies. In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, John Bowlby’s attachment theory can be seen at work in the ways the main character, Gilbert Grape, relates to the other characters in the movie. In this paper, I will explore Gilbert Grape’s relationships through the lens of attachment theory and discuss different counseling interventions
Movie Overview
The movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? tells the story of a family in a small town in Iowa. The main character is Gilbert Grape, the oldest of the four children and the de facto caretaker of the family. Gilbert lives with his mother, Bonnie, his two sisters, Amy and Ellen, and a developmentally disabled younger brother named Arnie. Arnie requires constant supervision and the bulk of those duties fall to Gilbert. Bonnie Grape, is a morbidly obese women who has not left the house in seven years and is still reeling from the suicide of her husband. She lives and sleeps on the couch, spending all her time eating, watching television and smoking. She rarely interacts with the family except to chastise one of the children, usually Gilbert, about something Arnie is doing. Bonnie put on the weight after
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There is no indication this was a conscious choice by Gilbert. As Gilbert’s mother withdrew from life after her husband’s suicide, Gilbert stepped in and took over the required roles to keep the family stable. By the time we see Gilbert, he is trapped in his existence, devoting all his time to Arnie, his mom and keeping the family fed and sheltered. Gilbert has little if any time to himself and no apparent joys in his life outside of some moments playing with Arnie. His life is filled with stress, anxiety and worry. Even the affair with the married woman is a burden and he approaches it with reluctance and
These stressors include his job, townspeople, and the police department. In addition, his personal relationships and family members also contribute to his stress. Gilbert works as a grocer at Lamson’s Grocery. This was originally the only grocery in the town but recently Foodland opened and has diverted business away from the mom-and-pop shop where Gilbert works. This grocery chain increases Gilbert’s financial stress because of his decreased income. Although his job is a negative stressor, it is also positive because the arrangement allows Gilbert to bring his younger brother, Arnie, to work with him. This provides safety and a sense of security for Gilbert. The townspeople throughout the movie represent negative stress by making fun of Bonnie’s (Momma) weight. In addition to the pointing and laughing, the children in the community try to sneak a peek through the window to see how she physically looks. It appears as if she serves as a source of entertainment for the other children. The police department does not seem to me adequately educated or trained to deal with Arnie who suffers from autism. They repeatedly threaten to put Arnie in jail for having climbed the water tower. It is important to recognize that this places stress on the police department. Becky, Gilbert’s unofficial girlfriend, serves as both a positive and a negative stressor. She encourages Gilbert to provide care not only to his family
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 developmental milestones but also threatens to shorten his life expectancy considerably. The youngest sibling Ellen Grape is currently employed at a local ice cream parlor and is 16 years of age.
Gilbert loves his mom, but she’s too much for him. Since Gilbert is the man of the house it’s up to him to take care of his family, which is a lot of pressure. At one point in the film Gilbert says, “I wanna be a good person.” This quote shows how much pressure Gilbert puts on himself to be a good person for his family. Gilbert’s family relies on him for so much and Gilbert does all he can to provide do to provide everything they want. All of the pressure of being relied on is a lot and starts to show up in his
What's Eating Gilbert Grape portrays a family dealing with the trials, misfortunes, and also great times of having a member with a disability. The Grape family consists of Gilbert, Ellen, Amy, Mama (Mrs.Grape), and of course, Arnie. They live in an isolated town of Endora in a house that seems to be in shambles since their father died, causing their mother’s depression and becoming morbidly obese. Considering that there is only one parent left, their family structure single parenting and trends in a laissez-faire family pattern.
According to Ronald B. Adler and Russell F. Proctor II “competent communication involves achieving one’s goals in a manner that, in most cases, maintains or enhances the relationship in which it occurs” (Adler and Proctor, 22). There are many different ways to be competent in communication. The way someone communicates depends on the personality of the communicator and who they are trying to communicate with. It also greatly depends on the situation in which the communication occurs. For example a “joke that would be ideal would probably be inappropriate at a funeral” (Adler and Proctor, 22). There are many different factors that determine whether someone is communicating competently, and there is a huge range of different behaviors
The family dynamics in the Grape family is close and reflects a general sense of caring. Each character on some level interacted with one another in order to keep the family together. While Gilbert works tirelessly as a caregiver for his brother, he also works to provide for his family. When Ellen is not preoccupied with herself, she also helps take care of her mother. Bonnie, while immobile for much of the movie, runs her family unit from her spot on the couch, and she is included in meals when they bring the table to her in order for them to eat together. Newman & Newman (2012) suggested that the demands of household management stimulate development. As each character is involved in this role in some sense,
In the film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 1993, one of the main ideas is that of struggle and hardship. This idea is significant to the film because it relates to each character in a different way, making the storyline more interesting. Three different techniques used by Lasse Hallstrom to illustrate the idea of struggle and hardship include Gilberts voice over, the extra close-ups of Bonnie as she climbs the stairs and the double up of dialogue, where Mrs Carver is talking to Gilbert, and Mr Carver is heard tying to entertain their children in background.
After watching the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” it focuses more on Gilbert Grape than any other characters in the movie. Gilbert Grape is a young man who resides in a small community called Endora. Gilbert at the beginning of the movie states “Describing Endora is like dancing to no music”. Gilbert’s youngest brother Arnie is soon to be 18 years old and has a developmental disability that never was disclosed in the movie. Furthermore, Bonnie Gilbert’s mother has been locked in her own home since her husband committed suicide seven years ago. Moreover, Bonnie is at the stage of stagnation. She is over-weighted and doesn’t think of doing anything for herself or for any of her children. Therefore, leaving Gilbert with the full responsibility of caring for his family especially Arnie.
Hazan, C., Gur-Yaish, N., & Campa, M. (2003). What does it mean to be attached? In W. S. Rholes & J. A. Simpson (Eds.) Adult Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Implications, (pp. 55 – 85). New York: Guilford.
Mental disorders are a common condition that many people and families have to live with and go through in their lifetime. The disorders are more common than one may think, and in fact they are all around us we just may not know. In the 1993 film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, the movie stars Johnny Depp who takes the role of a small-town man, Gilbert Grape, who takes care of his fatherless family of five. The movie shows many characteristics of autism, depression, and eating disorders. It shows examples of the life that those effected with the disorders have to live with every day.
In understanding others, one must first understand our own family background and how it affects our understanding of the world. Conversely, family systems draw on the view of the family as an emotional unit. Under system thinking, one evaluates the parts of the systems in relation to the whole meaning behavior becomes informed by and inseparable from the functioning of one’s family of origin. These ideas show that individuals have a hard time separating from the family and the network of relationships. With a deeper comprehension of the family of origin helps with the challenges and awareness of normalized human behaviors. When interviewing and analyzing the family of origin, allow one to look at their own family of origin
Bowlby 's attachment theory is used a lot in settings as children gain strong bonds with the teachers and key workers in the setting. Having a secure attachment in the setting can have a variety of positive or negative impacts on the child depending on how emotionally attached they are. A strength of the attachment theory is that by children gaining attachment with their key worker it can help the practitioner support the child and meet their needs in the setting. By a child having an attachment to their key worker it can help their development as they are more engaged with the staff. Again research has shown that the quality of a child’s learning and the development of resilience can depend on the quality of their relationships both with their
To understand the attachment theory, we must understand a clear definition of what attachment is. According to merriam-webster.com attachment is the physical connection by which one thing is attached to another. From my point of view, attachment is the lasting bond between child/children to their belonging primary caregiver.
“Attachment is as essential for the child’s psychological well-being as food is for physical health,” claimed Bowlby, B (2001, p.54). Bowlby claimed in this statement that attachment is a necessary thing that a child needs in order to develop healthily. There is evidence from other theorists who support Bowlby’s theory of attachment, such as Harlow, whose approach is based upon a caregiver’s sensitivity and attachment. Ainsworth is another theorist whose research supports Bowlby’s theory of attachment. In her strange situation study, she tested for the attachment types and what effects they had on a child’s behaviour.
The movie, “Whats eating Gilbert Grape” is about a family that goes through hardships in a small town of Endora, Iowa. The town is super small and everyone knows each other business. Gilbert's family consist of his mother and siblings who live in the same broken down house. The movie starts with Gilbert as the narrator and just in the first few minutes of the opening it is learned that Gilbert's dad committed suicide and his brother Larry left to pursuit higher education. Larry was the only one to break the poverty line and never to communicate with his family members again. Gilbert described Larry as the one who got away, in the opening of the movie. Bonnie Grape has 5 kids but only 4 of the 5 lives with her in their shack. The kids are mentioned from oldest to youngest: Larry, Amy, Gilbert, Arnie and Ellen. Bonnie Grape is extremely obese and suffers from depression ever since her husband(Albert Grape) committed suicide in the basement. Albert Grape was described in a brief mention of the movie as an alcohol who hang himself in the base...