What's Eating Gilbert Grape Archetypes

One concept discussed in the reading and visualized in the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is the fragility of our genes; one “mistake” in our coding can affect a person mentally or physically. Our genotype and phenotype guide what characteristics we inherit from our parents (like height and eye color) as well as our physical and behavioral characteristics. While genes can be a positive effect on our development, enabling us to become strong, tall people, it can also have negative effects. In the movie, Gilbert has a younger brother named Arnie. Although never explicitly stated, Arnie has a mental disorder of some kind. This occurs because of a genetic abnormality that can interfere with normal development. In the movie, this is manifested in Arnie’s maturity level, his speech and he walks somewhat oddly, with his leg turned inward and hanging behind. He often does not produce his own speech; he scripts what he hears others say. He also cannot process how to react to emotional news or control his impulsivity. (as seen by his reaction to his mothers death and his desire to climb the

Ones behavior is a result of the interaction between a predisposition, or vulnerability, with a stress cue. Stress is something that disrupts an individual’s psychological equilibrium, which ultimately can lead to a mental illness, like depression or anxiety. One example of this is seen with Gilberts mother. Her husband committed suicide, leaving her with 4 children to take care of, a house to repair and other responsibilities. This stress of having to keep her family together and become the head of a household alone led her to become anxious and depressed. This is manifested by her inability to leave her house and sit on the couch day in and day out. She won’t even go back to the bed her and her husband shared because she is too anxious. She never enters the outside world, seeking comfort in food and her