The Emotional Detachment of Gilbert in What's Eating Gilbert Grape

            In tough situations, it is a natural reaction to desire an escape.  As a man surrounded by things that seem beyond his control, the protagonist of Peter Hedges' novel, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, shows the psychological detachment that results when such escape is impossible.  Gilbert Grape is a man often contemplating his situation and making a conscious effort to filter his speech.  His family life is dismal, and the emotional response to his living arrangement is an overall rejection of everything around him.  Gilbert shows disdain for his family through his cynical inward thoughts while appearing to sleepwalk through life, often speaking only enough to keep things peaceful with others.  His lack of interest in most relationships outside of his family shows his disregard for the town of Endora as a whole.  His disconnection extends even to himself, as he refuses to be emotionally honest with himself or anyone else.  Johnny Depp's portrayal of Gilbert brings the story to a slightly new direction, reducing his overwhelming cynicism and emphasizing Gilbert's emotional state as he comes back into contact with his feelings.  With the extreme emotional detachment of Gilbert Grape, the character depicts the psychological effects of a broken home and the difficulty one faces in overcoming it.

            While on the outside Gilbert cares deeply for his brother, Arnie, it becomes obvious that he places a distance between himself and his family in an effort to cope with his situation.  He does love Arnie, but his narration often refers to his brother as "retarded," and Gilbert's attitude towards much of Arnie's behavior is one of annoyance.  His attitude for the rest of his family is far less amiable.  Foremost he detests his mother's growing weight, describing her to Tucker as a walrus.  In response to Tucker's scolding he claims "I want to say that to keep Momma from falling through is what's cruel.  Let her die if that's what she wants.  At least my father could make up his mind" (117).  This animosity for his family is undercut in the film by Depp's portrayal of Gilbert.  Although his depiction is softer, the indifferent feelings for his family are still echoed as he lifts a neighborhood child up to the window to catch a glimpse of his morbidly obese mother. 

            In Gilbert's opinion, Momma's children are just as problematic.  He rejects all but Amy and Arnie.  The two eldest Grape children are absent from their family, and whether out of jealousy or contempt, Gilbert speaks to them sparingly.  He detests his sister Ellen for her strong focus on outward beauty and shallow nature.  These negative feelings only increase as Gilbert finds Ellen handling Arnie roughly.  Driving her home he expresses his animosity toward her when he observes "I check to see if her door is locked.  It isn't, and a big part of me wants to reach over, open the door, and shove her out into the street" (42).  Although his thoughts are provoked by anger, his feelings of revulsion for Ellen illustrate the disconnect he feels from his family.

            In his removed state, Gilbert often refuses himself enjoyment or involvement in family situations.  His habit of lying to them about his true feelings pushes them further apart.  In light of his mother's eating problem, his appetite suffers as he frequently refuses to eat at the family table.  Even the family trip to Burger Barn is upset by Gilbert's refusal to eat, as he orders only water.  His refusal to eat meals with his family is symbolic of his rejection of the family as a whole.  Although his overall stress could contribute to his loss of appetite, he shows this rejection by enthusiastically eating meals while away from home in situations like the breakfast with Becky's grandmother or the chicken dinner presented to him by Mrs. Carver.

            The wall between Gilbert and his family extends further to separate him from the town of Endora.  His emotional issues cause him to care little for conversation with anyone from town.  Waiting in Mr. Carver's office he is forced to speak with his assistant, Melanie, when Gilbert comments "I left this conversation hours ago, but somehow my mouth is still moving, words are still forming, and none have seemed to offend" (23).  He gives short, meaningless answers to his friends as if he is not paying attention at all.  Tucker's enthusiasm for their friendship is the only thread keeping it alive, as Tucker talks and Gilbert responds absently with one word answers.  Even enthusiasm for the most distant relationship is faked as Gilbert waves to Chip Miles as he passes by.  He later fights the urge to insult his silver tooth as Miles gives him a ride home, instead quietly riding along in the passenger seat.

            The closest relationship he has in Endora is the affair with Mrs. Carver, something he cares little about.  Failing to give the affair a proper name, he shows just how disinterested he is in their relationship.   He pokes fun at her archaic sounding name and instead of using it he often refers to her as the official sounding "Mrs. Carver."  During their anniversary picnic he displays his inability to show her affection.  Already fed up with their conversation, Gilbert declares, "I can't take much talk like this so I lean over and kiss her on the cheek.  I couldn't make it to the lips" (133).  While his sexual relationship with Mrs. Carver would suggest they share some intimacy, his inability to relate to others is stressed in this relationship as he is unable to converse with or kiss her in any affectionate manner.

            Gilbert's inability to form or care about deep relationships takes its most extreme form within himself.  His disconnect from feeling sis demonstrated strongly through his narration and interaction with others.  He affirms his detachment when he reveals, "I don't cry.  I just never do.  And no one expects me to" (29).  Others do take notice, as Becky explains to him that people are supposed to feel feelings.  Tucker wants Gilbert to be honest with his mother about the rapidly deteriorating floor, but he refuses to be honest with himself or anyone else.  He makes a habit of ignoring the weight of his words, offering a callous introduction of Momma when he admits, "There is no nice way to break it to you.  My mother is a porker" (11).  These coarse words for his mother show that he denies having feelings for her, instead resorting to an insulting description.  He shows his indifference further as he tells Tucker how Albert evacuated his bowels upon his death. Tucker accuses him of being cold, but Gilbert explains, "I say that if you live with something long enough, it becomes normal" (38).  Living with the problems of Momma, Arnie, Ellen, and Albert Grape's suicide, Gilbert manages to distance himself far enough away for these problems to become a normal part of life. 

            The distance Gilbert keeps from others id portrayed in a similar manner in the film.  Although Gilbert's inner thoughts are cynical in the novel, Depp's portrayal softens the cutting wit of Gilbert while keeping his image intact.  Absent are many of the inner thoughts where Gilbert wishes ill of his family or levels harsh criticism against other characters.  Aside from the small amount of verbal narration, the film is void of Gilbert's frank thoughts.  Depp gives a nod to these feelings by pausing before delivering lines, showing that Gilbert has to think before he speaks or else he may make an inappropriate but honest comment.  This is evident at the grand opening of the Burger barn, where Gilbert looks at Tucker for a moment and feigns interest, saying "wow," when it is obvious he finds the burger to be lackluster.  He manages to soften Gilbert's attitude but in some ways still captures the essence of his negative thoughts.

            Depp's main improvement of Gilbert comes in the final scenes of the film as he comes to terms with his feelings, dissolving his detached attitude. While the novel depicts a sort of contest between Gilbert and Becky that eventually ends in a sort of epiphany for Gilbert, the film brings his level of emotion to a more developed level.  After the outburst against Arnie his confession to Becky shows that he is slowly opening himself up to his feelings.  This confession proves to be therapeutic as he explains his family to her, proudly claiming the beauty his mother possessed in her youth instead of focusing on her current obesity.

            Depp further improves upon Gilbert as he channels his emotions in the final scenes.  He gets little chance to reconcile with his mother in the novel, but his screen counterpart changes much earlier and brings Becky in to meet her on Arnie's birthday.  he begs her to allow Becky inside and pleads with her, saying he won't hurt her any longer.  This allows Gilbert to reconcile with his mother before her death.  Although in the novel the peak of his emotional display is seen in the Burger Barn, Depp portrays them in a more intense manner.  After Momma's death he lets loose his pent up anger, lashing out against the support beams that kept her from falling through the floor.  With help from Becky and the death of his mother, Gilbert displays more feeling, realizing that he has cared for his family all along.  With the return of Becky and her Grandmother in the final scene, Depp plays a jubilant Gilbert that is finally able to be happy.

            As a coping mechanism, Gilbert distances himself from his feelings and walks through life in a trance like state.  Trying to keep himself oblivious, he is secure only in his knowledge that he despises Endora and all who live there.  His contempt for his hometown is emphasized in the book, while Depp's onscreen portrayal tones down the angst of Gilbert in order to capture the spirit of the character in a lighter and more emotional way.  He relies on his sarcasm to get him through life, but ultimately desires that his life be normal.  His desire for normalcy is in many ways universal and not unlike someone coping with other difficult family problems.  Momma's weight could easily be a more common problem, such as a drug addicted parent.  The aloof manner in which Gilbert deals with his circumstances presents a parallel to those in similar situations as Gilbert initially has no idea that he, like many others, would rather mend his family problems than abandon them.

Works Cited

Hallström, Lasse, dir. What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Perf. Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount, 1993. DVD.

Hedges, Peter. What's Eating Gilbert Grape. New York: Washington Square Press, 1991.