Gilbert Family Description

Description of Family Gilbert is the third sibling in the Grape family, he is the middle child. He has an older brother and sister, and a younger brother and sister. He is in his early twenties. He grew up in a small town in Endora, Iowa and has not left. Gilbert has the burden of caring for everyone in his family. His mother is overweight and has not left their house in years, Gilbert takes care of her. He has some negative thoughts about his mother, he calls he a whale often. It is also his task to make the repairs on the family’s old house, built by their father. So with being the financial provider for the family, he settles and works at the local grocery store. Gilbert is also caring for his younger brother, Arnie, who is mentally …show more content…
She has not been a mother to her children since the passing of her husband. Since he died she has not left her house and has gained a tremendous amount of weight. She knows that people in the town make fun of her. Since she has gained so much weight, she stays on the first floor in the house, she does everything from the couch in the living room. She watches television all day, when it’s time for a meal, her children bring the table to her and they eat as a family. The table is then moved back into the kitchen and she goes to sleep on the couch. She is very loving and caring towards Arnie, but she has left the responsibility of caring for him to Gilbert and …show more content…
Many of the family members have roles that are not traditionally meant for them. The roles that they have allows for the creation of the subsystems and power structure of the family. As previously stated, Gilbert has the role of the head of the family. He is the main person that supports the family financially. He works at the local grocery store as a stock boy and a delivery boy. Every day he brings home groceries for the family, so they can have a meal. Gilbert is also the main caretaker for Arnie in the family. Arnie is with Gilbert throughout the day, he goes to work with Gilbert also. Gilbert is also the one that is responsible for giving Arnie a bath every day. Whenever the house needs to be fixed, Gilbert is also the one that makes sure it gets fixed. Amy has the role of being the mother. She is the one that cooks for the entire family. She also takes care of all the household chores. Together Gilbert and Amy form their own subsystem. They form the subsystem of the parents. Gilbert goes to work, Amy is the stay at home mother. Together they make the decisions for the family. When the house needs to be fixed, they work together to make sure their mother does not find out, while it is being fixed. They are also the decision makers for the other family members. Ellen, Arnie, and mama play the role of the children. Because of Arnie’s disabilities, he is like a child. Ellen acts her age throughout the