58 pages • 1 hour read
Peter HedgesWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Compare and contrast Gilbert’s relationships with Becky and Mrs. Betty Carver. What do they mean to him in terms of escaping his situation? What impact does each relationship have on Gilbert’s motivations, choices, and emotions?
Gilbert feels threatened by the changes that businesses like Food Land and Burger Barn bring to Endora. Why does he feel this way? How does this relate to his feelings about his hometown? With this in mind, do you think Gilbert would have left Endora if his family situation allowed for it after high school? Why or why not?
Throughout the novel, Gilbert refuses to eat dinner with his family or eat at Burger Barn, yet he eats to excess on a picnic with Mrs. Carver. Describe his relationship with food. What impact does his mother have on this relationship? Does Amy’s fear that she is becoming obese affect Gilbert’s feelings toward food? Will his attitude change after the death of his mother? Why or why not?
Gilbert describes his room as devoid of decoration, yet he keeps the watermelon seeds from Becky’s watermelon and the cigarette Mrs. Carver smoked the day of Mr. Carver’s funeral. Why does he save these items? What does this reveal about his character?
Throughout the novel, Gilbert expresses a dislike of the sound the cables at gas stations make. Why does he dislike these sounds? What do the various bells in the novel represent, and does their effect on him change throughout the book?
Religion becomes a minor theme in the novel when Ellen begins going to Bible study. Why does Gilbert have an aversion to religion? Why does he not stop Ellen from attending? Explore the role of religion in the family.
Bonnie often expresses her desire to survive to see Arnie turn 18. How does this wish impact Gilbert? Is he justified in feeling that Bonnie cares more for Arnie than him? Provide at least three examples from the text to support your answer.
Gilbert often uses derogatory terms to refer to Arnie and his mother, yet he defends them when others do so. Discuss the use of insults and negative speech in the novel and Gilbert's motives in using it.
After Bonnie’s death, the children gather to see pictures of her and to dance to her favorite music. How does this scene function within their family's dynamic, and why do the siblings respond in this way?
Gilbert suggests burning down the house rather than exposing his mother to one last humiliation. Is this protective instinct for his mother's benefit or for his own? What does this house represent to the children, and is the burning a healing event or a damaging one?
