58 pages • 1 hour read
Peter HedgesWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Gilbert Grape
Gilbert Grape is the protagonist of this novel. He feels trapped because his father died, and his mother is disabled by her obesity. At a young age, Gilbert had to step up and become a breadwinner and father figure to his two younger siblings, in addition to providing emotional support to his older sister, who became their mother figure and caretaker. Most of Gilbert’s classmates moved out of the area after high school, leaving him feeling that he missed an opportunity to live a different life. Yet, as the novel progresses, it seems that Gilbert is more content in his small-town life than he admits. Watching progress come to town bothers him, especially in the way it impacts the local grocery where he works. Gilbert is fiercely loyal to Lamson Grocery and its owners, refusing to step foot inside Food Land until he is forced to do so after Arnie destroys his birthday cake.
Gilbert’s relationships with his family members are complicated. He dislikes Ellen because she is beautiful; her looks offer her possibilities for escaping Endora and the Grape family home. At the same time, Ellen is young and immature, constantly arguing with Gilbert and Amy over household chores and responsibility for Arnie. Gilbert’s relationship with Ellen reflects the tensions that are also present in his interactions with Janice and, to a lesser degree, with Larry. Gilbert resents his older siblings for escaping, even though they continue to send home money to help provide for the family. Also, every time Janice comes home, she psychologically analyzes each member of the family—even though she isn’t around enough to really know them—and encourages Ellen’s behavior. Janice also kissed Amy’s one and only boyfriend, ending the relationship. In Gilbert’s mind, Janice does nothing but create chaos during her visits. Larry comes home only on Arnie’s birthday and doesn’t otherwise attempt to interact with the family, which is also frustrating for Gilbert.
Gilbert’s relationship with Amy is less complicated than the others. However, he states at the beginning of the novel that she “feels more like a mother than a sister” (10). Gilbert is sensitive to the sacrifices Amy makes to care for the family and attempts to help her when he can, but he does argue with her demands from time to time in his role as her young-adult "son." He says several times throughout the novel that he loves her, making her part of the anchor that keeps him in Endora. The other part of that anchor is Arnie, who often exasperates him, but to whom he is generally patient and kind. Gilbert stops what he is doing at any given time to take care of him. Although Gilbert feels trapped, his behavior demonstrates that he will never leave Arnie.
Becky
Becky is a beautiful young girl whose arrival in Endora causes turmoil among the young men, including Gilbert and his friends. All the boys want to date her, and they pursue her relentlessly. This causes a mild rift between Gilbert and his good friend Tucker when it becomes clear that Becky prefers Gilbert. Ellen becomes disgruntled when Becky comes to town: She was once the girl all the boys wanted to date, but Becky changes that dynamic.
The dynamic in Gilbert’s relationship with Becky is different from that of his previous relationship. Becky is younger than Gilbert but has a unique insight into human behavior and emotions that allows her to see through the barriers he erects against the hatred, anger, and pain that his life created within him. This insight balances their relationship, but it also causes Gilbert a great deal of frustration because he is accustomed to hiding his feelings. The relationship progresses slowly as Becky waits for Gilbert to become comfortable with his feelings. It also allows him to begin to work through some of the trauma from his past. With Becky’s help, Gilbert demonstrates some character growth in the novel.
Mr. and Mrs. Carver
Gilbert was 17 when Mrs. Betty Carver initiated an affair with him. She is the only person with whom Gilbert has been intimate. The skewed power structure within this relationship between an older, married woman and a teenager prevents Gilbert from feeling a sense of control over its development. However, the affair with Mrs. Carver also reflects Gilbert's tendency to unconsciously seek out connections with authority figures after growing up without traditional parental figures. Mr. and Mrs. Carver represent a distorted version of a family structure for Gilbert, both as a family that is dysfunctional and as authority figures who develop a distorted relationship with him. Their relationship with him is confusing to Gilbert, which is evident in his disappointment when he finds Mr. Carver having an affair with his secretary, Melanie, and his mild anger when Mr. Carver becomes violent with his children. When he learns that Mrs. Carver is moving to St. Louis after her husband's death, he offers to reignite their relationship in order to leave town with her. Gilbert and Mrs. Carver always used each other to escape the reality of their lives, and Gilbert is willing to continue this dynamic, but she finds a literal escape and no longer needs him.
Bonnie Grape
Young Bonnie Grape was a beautiful woman who had multiple suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Bonnie chose Albert Grape, and they appear to have had a good marriage that produced six children. Unfortunately, Albert died of suicide and left Bonnie alone with the children. As an expression of her grief, she began to overeat. Initially, it seems this habit was not debilitating. Bonnie managed to support her children well enough for Janice to get a college education and for Larry to land a job that allows him to send generous checks home to the family. However, Bonnie eventually becomes disabled by her obesity and is almost always confined to a chair in the family’s living room. She hides in the house—even during Arnie’s 18th birthday party, an event she looked forward to for most of his life—because of the shame that she feels regarding her appearance.
Gilbert concludes that Bonnie only cares about food, cigarettes, and Arnie, her three conversation topics. At first, it seems that Gilbert has no relationship with his mother and is unbothered by this fact. It becomes clear, however, that he desires her love and pride in him but doesn’t see them. Gilbert so resembles his father that it is difficult for Bonnie to look at him. He also believes that she loves Arnie more than anyone else. As the novel progresses, it’s revealed that Bonnie feels consumed by pain and grief at the loss of her husband. She loves Gilbert, becoming devastated when she goads him into saying he hates her. Bonnie is proud of her children but ashamed of herself and of her neglect of them.
Throughout the novel, Gilbert imagines his mother dying and the relief it will be for the family. However, when she dies, he is devastated. Gilbert, who always spoke of his mother in derogatory terms, is the first to recognize the ways that she will be shamed if her body must be removed from the house through extreme means. He insists that she is beautiful and refuses to allow her to be debased in that way. This reveals Gilbert’s true feelings for his mother and shows a level of respect for her in death that he did not show her in life.
Arnie Grape
Arnie Grape is the youngest of the Grape siblings and has an intellectual disability. The nature of his disability is never revealed. Gilbert mentions several times that doctors didn’t believe Arnie would live to be 18, but he never reveals the cause of this assumption. However, Arnie celebrates his 18th birthday in the novel and doesn’t appear to have physical ailments.
Gilbert is Arnie’s primary caregiver. Gilbert is intensely patient with him and defends him when others become frustrated with his behavior. When Ellen is caught dragging Arnie down the street, Gilbert chastises her; he is deeply protective of his brother. However, Gilbert once neglects his responsibility and discovers that Arnie spent the night in the bathtub, leading to a fear of water that causes him to refuse to bathe. This situation leads Gilbert to a moment of intense frustration toward the end of the novel that is provoked by the culmination of many issues, including Gilbert’s disappointment at being unable to escape his situation and the immediate frustration he feels after Arnie gets into his birthday cake before the party. Gilbert beats Arnie while trying to get him to take a bath but quickly comes to his senses and realizes what he has done. He is instantly regretful and returns to his role as a gentle, kind caregiver.
Gilbert’s relationship with his younger brother is the anchor that keeps him in Endora. Gilbert understands that Amy needs his help to care for Arnie, and he loves his brother. However, when Gilbert becomes frustrated with his circumstances, he expresses his emotions through the way he treats Arnie.
