What’s Eating Gilberts Grape portrays the psychological principle of autism. The movie does a great job of incorporating stereotypical views of autism (classical ASD). For instance, people with ASD have difficulties with communicating and seem very restricted. They don’t understand social cues such as facial expressions and tone voice in order to interpret what others are thinking or feeling. There’s a slow lack of empathy. They also have a very hard time maintaining focus and conversation due to constantly moving repetitively (rocking back and forth or twirling). But what usually brings them back into focus, is speaking in a melody or “sing-song voice” of things they have interest in. What is truly hard to control with ASD is how to handle …show more content…
or retain their emotions because they react so violently, they either hit or bit themselves. You can’t comfort them or show any sort of physical affection to them because they don't want to be touched or held.
These aspects where portrayed in such an incredible manner in the movie through the character Arnie (played by Leonardo Dicaprio). The character Arnie comes off as very brutally honest and sometimes rude. He has a hard time understanding when to apologize or a reason to why he should. For instance, one part in the movie he jokes about his father committing suicide at the dinner table singing, “dad’s dead, dad’s dead” over and over again. Arnie also gets drawn to specific objects that interests him, lacking his sense of focus which creates major predicaments for him (such as climbing up the towns water tower and not wanting to come down). Though, ways to prevent him from getting hurt or allowing him to comprehend a sense of what is right from wrong is creating melodic sayings. So for instance, his brother Gilbert (Johnny Depp) sings “match in the gas tank, boom boom”. This allows Arnie to assimilate that he should come …show more content…
down. Overall, many of the autistic traits are displayed very well in the movie.
Arnie’s use of constant distraction of fiddling his fingers and twirling, repetition of words, sensitivity to smells and tastes, and throwing tantrums to which he incessantly hits himself. Even though the movie mostly displays the disability of one with autism, there are many other underlining physiological significances. Arnies disability puts a tremendous amount of stress onto his family. As quoted from Gilbert, “some days you want him to live, some days you don’t”. They are constantly worried for his safety and well beings. That is why his older brother Gilbert constantly watches over him. Gilbert believes he has to protect him from the community. He worries that people may not know how to tolerate with his neurological differences. Even though it’s good to have Gilbert watch over Arnie so persistently, it creates a problem for Gilbert. With no fatherly figure, or actually, no parental figure at all for that matter doesn't allow Gilbert to experience the life of an ordinary teenager to which he lacks a sense of individualization and differentiation. As for the mother, she is exceedingly depressed and over weight and refuses to leave the house due to the passing of her husband. She becomes almost a burden to the family, especially in Gilbert’s eyes. He feels ashamed and embarrassed by her. But what truly questions me is to why the movie didn't declare the reason to why the husband took his own
life. Because as the look of it, the family constantly struggles on how to appropriately take care of Arnie. So was it the pressure and stress of taking care of a underdeveloped child that made the husband give up? Or was it the unseen personal despondent the father suffered that the family never knew was there? Well, ones decision to take their own life is always a question for those who are closet to them. As the movie comes to a close, the mother suddenly passes. This creates a huge change for the family. They must learn to move forward and accommodate a better relationship between one another. Find a sense of resiliency and strength. The burning down of the house was a way for the Grape siblings to create new beginnings for themselves, “to go anywhere” they wanted to go.
While the novel Of mice and men and the film What’s eating Gilbert Grape have different plots and settings, the themes of the two stories are very comparable. The stories depict how taking care of people with disabilities is very challenging and the problems they encounter in their day to day activities. Gilbert (What’s eating Gilbert Grape) has the task of taking care of Arnie his brother and George (Of mice and men) takes care of his childhood friend Lennie. Both of this characters Arnie and Lennie have mental disabilities and rely on their caregivers in life. The responsibility of taking care of Arnie and Lennie is frustrating but George and Gilbert still love them. This paper aims to compare and contrast the novel Of Mice
Throughout the movie the psychological, social and physical impact that Arnie’s chronic mental illness had on his family are illustrated. The aspects I will discuss are the social and psychological as they had the most impact on the family. However the physical impact of fatigue due to increased burden on Gilbert and Amy was assessed.
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
To help my peers and I become a more culturally competent we chose to watch the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” in hopes to become more aware and knowledgeable about the differences of values and beliefs in our society. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape; a film produced in 1993, address many issues everyday people face in society such as socioeconomic struggle and mental or physical discrimination.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, is a movie directed by Lasse Hallstrom in 1993. Leonardo Dicaprio and Johnny Depp, play Arnie and Gilbert, two brothers who have a bond unlike any other. Arnie is autistic and it is Gilbert’s role in the family to lead him through each step in his life, whether it be the simplest of tasks or the most complex process, Gilbert is there. The title itself is a question that is not rhetorical, but rather a question the viewer must answer themselves. Gilbert appears to have the burden of being the father figure in Arnie’s life. Gilbert must keep Arnie in line and perform standards up to Arnie deserves. With a father that has passed away and an absent mother, Gilbert
The character’s demeanour changes the entire atmosphere of the movie due to experiencing serious trauma through bullying in childhood. The
What is Autism? It’s a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Christopher Boone from the novel A Curious Incident in the Nighttime and Temple Grandin, who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry both fall on the high-functioning spectrum of autism. Even so, they do not display the exact same traits and behaviors. Whereas Grandin thinks in pictures and employs this unique gift for practical use, Christopher thinks in patterns and fails communicate his talents with others. However, they both speak their mind and have trouble understanding facial expressions and emotions.
Have you ever heard of the term ASD? What are your thoughts when you see a child in public who is misbehaving? Well the two of these questions might be linked together. ASD is better known as autism spectrum disorder which is a disorder of the development in the brain according to Autism Speaks Inc. (2015). Due to this developmental issue children can be thought of as being bad or unruly, but in reality they cannot help it. The reason it may seem that way is because the brain isn’t processing like it should be. The brain may be sending multiple messages to the body at one time or to the wrong places in the body which can cause children to seem bad. According to Autism Speaks Inc. (2015) there are multiple variances of autism. Although we know
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.
For example, our text describes two symptoms of ASD; 1. social communications and interactions 2. and limited patterns of repetitive behavior, interests, and or activities. This was all evident in the “Neurotypical” documentary. For example, Nicholas was unable to interact with girls or form relationships he believes he has nothing in common with them. Wolf suggested that autistic children are good at mimicking others and that nonverbal cues are important to watch out for. Violet, on the other hand, has a habit of repeating behaviors; she will repeat anything her parents say. In the text it also says severity of language problems vary child to child. In Violets case she does not fall under the mute category but instead she is able to speak in a few words, cry, and even laugh. Our text introduces the term for repetitive speech, echolalia. Violet tends to repeat a word or words her parents say either right away when she hears it or later
Social Psychology is the study of how we think and relate to other people. These psychologists focused on how the social situation influences others behavior. We see social influences everywhere we go, but might not notice it. Like when watching a movie for fun you do not notice it as much as when you are actually looking for the behaviors, like in the film The Breakfast Club. There are several examples of social psychological behaviors in the film.
The disabilities of Arnie and Lennie affect their everyday lives because they both can’t behave appropriately in a normal society. Their mental disability make Arnie and Lennie callow so sometimes they don’t know how to react to certain things. For example when Arnie’s brother Gilbert asked him for help in the basement Arnie said no because their dad killed himself, then he start laughing. Arnie doesn’t know that it’s not funny to laugh at someone when they die. Arnie is 18 and his brother Gilbert is the one that takes care of him, he tries to assuage Arnie’s life because he can’t do most things we can. Arnie’s disability also affect his life because he can’t even wash his own self up. Gilbert has to wash him up. Even a 5 year old can wash their own self up.
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.
One of the more prevalent themes of this movie is racism, and how prejudicial mindsets ultimately lead to one’s own demise. The movie outlines how racism, among other things, can adversely affect someone’s judgment. After the father died, we see how the family gradually deteriorates financially as well as emotionally after Derek (the older brother played by Edward Norton) turns to a neo Nazi gang for an outlet, which eventually influences his younger brother Danny (played by Edward Furlong) to follow down ...
The film ‘What`s Eating Gilbert Grape’ directed by Lasse Hallstrom, is set in a small motionless town called Endora. This town is special as people in the town know each other, however, are unable to take care of each other. The movie is based on Peter Hedges novel of the same name. ´What`s Eating Gilbert Grape is a charming story which gives a concept to everyone to confront the problems that our society creates and is a unique example of a person who wants to be kind despite the barriers or difficulties that arise.