Editing What's Eating Gilbert Grape (section)

==Plot==
In the small [[town]] of Endora, Iowa, Gilbert Grape is busy caring for Arnie, his mentally disabled younger brother who is about to turn 18, as they wait for the many tourists' trailers to pass through town during an annual [[Airstream#Airstreamers|Airstreamers' Club]] gathering at a nearby recreational area. His father had lost his business or money seventeen years earlier and committed suicide two years after. Since then, his mother, Bonnie, has spent most of her days on the couch watching television and eating. With Bonnie's [[obesity]] leaving her unable to care for her children on her own, Gilbert has taken responsibility for repairing the old house that his father built and being protective of Arnie, who has a habit of climbing the town's water tower, as well as trees, while his sisters, Amy and Ellen, do the other housework. Gilbert had an older brother named Larry who moved away some years ago. A new [[FoodLand]] supermarket has opened, threatening the small Lamson's Grocery where Gilbert works.

Gilbert is having an affair with a married woman to whom he delivers groceries.  When her husband finds out, there's a horrible scene involving Gilbert, the man's children, and their wading pool.  The husband later dies from a heart attack and drowning in the wading pool.

A young woman named Becky and her grandmother are stuck in town when the [[International Harvester Travelall]] pulling their trailer breaks down. Gilbert's unusual life circumstances threaten to get in the way of their budding romance. To spend time with Becky to watch the sunset, Gilbert leaves Arnie alone in the bath. He returns home late and finds Arnie still in the bath the following morning, shivering in the now-cold water; his guilt is compounded by his family's anger and Arnie's subsequent [[aquaphobia]]. Becky becomes close to both Gilbert and Arnie. While they are distracted during one of their talks, Arnie returns to the water tower that he is always trying to climb. Arnie is arrested after being rescued from the top of the tower, causing Bonnie — who has not left the house in more than seven years — to become the laughing stock of the town as she goes to the police station, forcing Arnie's release.

Soon, Arnie ruins two birthday cakes: the first, when he runs into Amy and she drops the cake she has lovingly made; and the second, a replacement from FoodLand, which he dips his fingers in to, having found it in the refrigerator. Arnie tries to run away from his bath, and in his frustration, Gilbert finally snaps, hitting Arnie several times. Guilty and appalled at himself, Gilbert flees, driving away in his truck. Arnie also runs to Becky, who takes care of him for the evening, and helps him overcome his aquaphobia, until he is picked up by his sisters. After some soul-searching, aided by Becky, Gilbert returns home during Arnie's 18th birthday party to make amends to his family for running out, and to receive Arnie's reluctant forgiveness. He also apologizes to his mother for his behavior, and vows not to be ashamed of her or let her be hurt anymore. She acknowledges how much of a burden that she has become to the family, and he forgives her. Gilbert also introduces Bonnie to Becky, something he had been reluctant to do.

Following the party, Bonnie climbs the stairs to her bedroom for the first time since her husband's suicide. Arnie tries to wake her, but discovers that she has died. With no way to remove her body from the second floor, the police make plans to return with a crane the next day. The family instinctively knows that there will be a crowd of people there to get a laugh, instead of paying their respects. Wanting to keep her death from becoming a mockery, the family removes the furniture and belongings from the house, and Gilbert sets the house ablaze with Bonnie still inside as a [[funeral pyre]].

A year later, Amy gets a job managing a bakery in the [[Des Moines]] area, while Ellen looks forward to switching schools and living in a bigger city. Gilbert waits by the side of the road with Arnie, whose 19th birthday is coming up, waiting for the tourist trailers to come again. As part of the convoy, Becky arrives with her grandmother and picks them both up. Gilbert tells Arnie, "We can go anywhere."