The Mother Figure (situational irony)
Bonnie is the mother to her children, but instead of working to support her family, her family makes sacrifices in order to support her. Amy, the eldest daughter, assumes the maternal role.
Mr. Grape's Optimism (situational irony)
Gilbert Grape's father, Arnold Grape, was remembered in Endora for his consistent optimism. However, Gilbert tells us that he hanged himself in his family's basement seven years ago. Similarly, Gilbert claims to be optimistic about the longevity of Lamson's Grocery, which is clearly threatened by the arrival of the corporate chain FoodLand. How does Gilbert convince himself that he is satisfied with his current life? What are the longterm, negative effects of Gilbert being dishonest to himself?
Fire as A New Beginning (situational irony)
For most of the film, fire represents a threat to stability: Mrs. Carver's smoking kitchen, the broken down RV, Amy setting the cafeteria where she works on fire. But in the last scene, the Grape children reverse this image of fire as a threat that cannot be controlled, using fire to give themselves a new start. They intentionally use fire to destroy their home and cremate their mother. In this way, fire symbolizes the alleviation of burden and hardship for the Grape family. In controlling the fire, the Grape children are able to begin a new and fresh phase of their lives. When the film skips to a year in the future, it is clear that the fire allowed each child to move forward with their lives in a way that they had always wished.
Independence (situational irony)
Gilbert attempts to give Arnie independence as he reaches adulthood. However, when he leaves him in the bathtub, Gilbert is reminded of Arnie's reliance on him. It is ironic that as Gilbert searches for his own independence, he is consistently pulled back by his familial responsibilities. At the end of the film, Gilbert finds that he can balance his quest for independence with his responsibilities. In this way, Gilbert begins to view his family not as a burden, but rather as a gift.
