What's Eating Gilbert Grape Sparknotes

“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, a novel written by Peter Hedges, is full of interesting events in Gilbert Grape’s life. Gilbert never had a good relationship with his mother or other siblings. He was very lonely, and he grew up without his father Albert, who committed suicide when Gilbert was just seven years old. Gilbert carries resentment throughout the book towards many people, including his mother Momma. At the end of the book, Momma dies because of a heart attack. With Gilbert showing the way, the rest of the family, Larry, Janice, Amy and Arnie start carrying their stuff outside, while Momma lies dead in her bed. Gilbert decided to burn down the house, because he wanted to avoid the negative attention Momma would get, he could let go

In the last scene Gilbert does not want Janice to call the authorities, because Gilbert knows the only way to get Momma out of the house is by using a crane. He knows that this way Momma would be the laughing stock of Endora once again. Gilbert says "SHE DESERVES BETTER! SHE DESERVES... I try to breath. Amy tries to hug me, but I flinch. MOMMA IS BEAUTIFUL AND NOBODY IS GOING TO LAUGH!... NO LAUGH!..."(315-316) Deep down Gilbert still loves Momma, and he thinks Momma deserves a more respectful ending, so he, along with the rest of the family decide to burn down the house to avoid a spectacle. Even though Gilbert said (out of Momma's will), that he hated her, Gilbert still provided food for her, made sure the support beams were built in the basement and tried to make her happy. There really was a love-hate relationship between Gilbert and Momma. In the end Gilbert wanted a respectful ending for Momma by not letting her be transported away in public, because otherwise people would have made jokes about her. After the scene where Momma got Arnie out of jail, Gilbert said, "My mother has become Endora's own Loch Ness Monster. It seems those who saw my mother told those who didn't and each day since everybody hopes for a glimpse."(126) Gilbert knew that the exact same thing would happen now, everybody would want to see the dead Bonnie

Gilbert had a lot of negative memories associated with the house, starting with his father killing himself in the basement. When this happened, Gilbert was only seven years old. Larry was the first one to find Albert in the basement hanging from his neck. That is why Larry only came back home once a year for Arnie's birthday party. They still had not gotten over it after 17 years. Another thing that Gilbert wanted to forget and leave behind, was the time he beat up Arnie in the bath tub. Gilbert said himself, “I am beyond hate for myself”(277). Gilbert had been protecting Arnie his whole life and now he had failed. Gilbert was filled with hatred. Becky tried to get Gilbert to see his own hatred throughout the second half of the book. Now that the house was gone, and Momma was gone, Gilbert and the rest could let go of these horrible memories, and move on with their