Disability In What's Eating Gilbert Grape

What’s eating Gilbert Grape is a fictional film about the titular character who lives in a small town, where her cares for his younger brother Arnie who has a mental disability. Gilbert is responsible for the upkeep of the family home, where he lives with his extremely obese mother and two sisters. The film states that his mother gained a great deal of weight following the passing of her husband who committed suicide and has failed to leave the house in over five years. The film focuses on Gilbert Grape and how he is responsible for caring for his brother and being a leader of the family. Throughout the film a number of issues are explored including stress and sibling relationships. The film while fictional offers an insightful example of …show more content…
One benefit portrayed is resilience. Throughout all events and arguing that occurs throughout the entire film, by the completion of the film all siblings are portrayed to be excited for their direction there life is heading. When a family experiences stress, an adverse event, or a life change (positive or negative) the family enters a period of adjustment (Openshaw, 2011). During this period of adjustment, the family system as a whole must adapt and change the way it functions (Olson & Gorall, 2003). Resilience is founded within the family systems theory, which focuses on how the entire family system adjusts to stress (Openshaw, 2011). Walsh (2003) noted that families have a built in processes that enable the family members to handle stress, come together during a crisis, and move towards optimal …show more content…
It is depicted that due to Arnie having a mental disability, that there is increased demands placed on the family to ensure that he stays safe and is supported. As well as having to deal with the increased level of stress due to having to care for Arnie, the stigma associated with Arnies mental disability has forced increased stress. Having a member of the family can lead to families being stigmatized, which in turn can lead to families feeling increased levels of anxiety, isolation and stress (Burke, 2008). Research by Baxter, Cummins and Yiolitis (2000) indicated that families with a disabled child experienced approximately double the stress of a family with a non-disabled child. Therefore “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” may offer an accurate portrayal of how a disability is a major stress factor for families. The family stress portrayed with the film is an example of how having a member with a disability impacts the family system. According to the family system theory, members of the family are influenced by the experiences of others (Hanson & Lynch, 2013). Due to the experiences of each member to be forced to care for Arnie it has led to an increased amount of stress. Burke (2008) suggests that stress has a significant impact upon the family system. Burke argues that family’s accommodate their disability however never fully adjust to it when social and educational experiences