Family Description
1. Roles: The Grape family is composed of five members: The mother, Bonnie, the older sister, Ellen, the older brother, Gilbert, the younger sister, Amy, and the younger brother, Arnie.
2. Power Structures: The older sister, Ellen, has taken on the role of a mother-figure, especially since their father died. Upon the death of Mr. Grape, Bonnie Grape has become morbidly obese and is incapable of taking care of the family. Ellen has taken on the responsibilities of doing the cooking and cleaning for the Grape family. The younger sister, Amy, who is only 15-years-old, has assumed a passive role in the family, mostly focused on her own immediate, adolescent needs. The mother, Bonnie, is simultaneously polarizing and submissive. …show more content…
Subsystems: Bonnie, the mother, and Ellen, the older sister, have established a subsystem in the Grape family, as the two female anchors of the household. This subsystem is triangulated by Amy, the younger sister, who is still in school. Another evident triad within this family is the connection between Gilbert, Amy and Ellen, as the three siblings who take care of their ailing mother, and who do not appear to suffer from debilitating health problems. Furthermore, another triad is evident in the relationship between Bonnie, Gilbert and Arnie. Bonnie heavily depends on Gilbert to watch over Arnie’s every move. When Arnie is in trouble, Bonnie will demand Gilbert to solve the problem and bring Arnie to her side on the couch. Perhaps the most important subsystem within the Grape family is the deeply enmeshed bond between Gilbert and his little brother, Arnie; especially since Mr. Grape died and further compounded by the mental and emotional challenges that Arnie …show more content…
Increasingly challenging, are the issues with Arnie’s handicaps; yet another nonnormative event that adds to the family’s stress levels.
The Environmental Context: Micro, Meso, Exo and Macro Systems
1. Economic Factors: At the microsystem level, the Grape family is struggling to make ends meet. Gilbert is the only working family member who is earning an income to support the entire family. At the mesosystem level, the Grape family is living in a rural area, with low income per capita, in a small and depressed town. At the exo and macrosystem levels, the economy of the town of Endora, appears to represent a lower-middle class status. The Grape family’s financial struggles seem to be congruent with that of most of the town.
2. Cultural and Political Factors: Culturally, the town of Endora represents a homogenous population dominated by White, monolinguistic citizens. The political temperature of the town of Endora represents an average slice of rural middle-America. The appearance of support for conservative family values is evident in the Grape family and their surrounding
1. Roles: The Grape family is composed of five members: The mother, Bonnie, the older sister, Ellen, the older brother, Gilbert, the younger sister, Amy, and the younger brother, Arnie.
2. Power Structures: The older sister, Ellen, has taken on the role of a mother-figure, especially since their father died. Upon the death of Mr. Grape, Bonnie Grape has become morbidly obese and is incapable of taking care of the family. Ellen has taken on the responsibilities of doing the cooking and cleaning for the Grape family. The younger sister, Amy, who is only 15-years-old, has assumed a passive role in the family, mostly focused on her own immediate, adolescent needs. The mother, Bonnie, is simultaneously polarizing and submissive. …show more content…
Subsystems: Bonnie, the mother, and Ellen, the older sister, have established a subsystem in the Grape family, as the two female anchors of the household. This subsystem is triangulated by Amy, the younger sister, who is still in school. Another evident triad within this family is the connection between Gilbert, Amy and Ellen, as the three siblings who take care of their ailing mother, and who do not appear to suffer from debilitating health problems. Furthermore, another triad is evident in the relationship between Bonnie, Gilbert and Arnie. Bonnie heavily depends on Gilbert to watch over Arnie’s every move. When Arnie is in trouble, Bonnie will demand Gilbert to solve the problem and bring Arnie to her side on the couch. Perhaps the most important subsystem within the Grape family is the deeply enmeshed bond between Gilbert and his little brother, Arnie; especially since Mr. Grape died and further compounded by the mental and emotional challenges that Arnie …show more content…
Increasingly challenging, are the issues with Arnie’s handicaps; yet another nonnormative event that adds to the family’s stress levels.
The Environmental Context: Micro, Meso, Exo and Macro Systems
1. Economic Factors: At the microsystem level, the Grape family is struggling to make ends meet. Gilbert is the only working family member who is earning an income to support the entire family. At the mesosystem level, the Grape family is living in a rural area, with low income per capita, in a small and depressed town. At the exo and macrosystem levels, the economy of the town of Endora, appears to represent a lower-middle class status. The Grape family’s financial struggles seem to be congruent with that of most of the town.
2. Cultural and Political Factors: Culturally, the town of Endora represents a homogenous population dominated by White, monolinguistic citizens. The political temperature of the town of Endora represents an average slice of rural middle-America. The appearance of support for conservative family values is evident in the Grape family and their surrounding