The Graduate (1967) is a classic drama and romance concerning the rift that exists between generations. The story mainly examines the life of youths in the late 1960s bumping against the rules and regulations that are set up by their parents. This paper is mainly going to look into how Benjamin who is a disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn in between his older loves and her daughter.
The story begins with a doubt filled Benjamin Braddock returning to his southern California home after graduating from a college in the East. Shortly after his arrival, his affluent parents gather all of their friends and throw a party for Ben where they can all gloat about his academic accomplishments and his bright future. Mrs. Robinson (Ann Bancroft), one of the guests and the wife of Ben’s father’s business partner, coaxes Ben to drive her home and their attempts to seduce him. Blatant and obvious in her seductive attempts to lure Benjamin, Mrs. Robinson soon persuades the excruciatingly nervous Ben into meeting her regularly at the Taft Hotel. As the summer progresses and the affair continues, Benjamin becomes increasingly bored and distant from his parents. Unsure of what he wants to do with himself, Benjamin stays out late and slovenly mulls around the pool because it is “comfortable just to drift” in the calm and reassuring waters. Ben’s parents pressure him to take out Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, and he agrees to it only after the alternative of having the entire Robinson family over for dinner is presented. At the beginning of the date, Ben acts very rudely towards Elaine; he even takes her to a strip club, because Mrs. Robinson ordered Ben never to date Elaine. Realizing how rude and brutal he has been, Ben profusely apologizes to Elaine and then kisses her, marking the start of a relationship (Miller 52).
The Graduate (1967) reveals Benjamin as a straight student who has just completed college, returning home where he gets a heroic welcome from his parents who have loads of great expectations from him but his apparent obscured nature questions its viewers’ perception that being an A student is an assured way to success in life. Benjamin (21 years old) returns to his home in Los Angeles a graduate. To the expectations of everybody around him, the world should pose as an oyster him but he instead gets into great anxiety as he has completely no idea of what to do with his life (Carr and Staff). This confusion is accelerated farther by the people around him who keep questioning him on what he plans to do in life or by those who keep giving him advice on what to do. While engulfed in this massive confusion, a moment he ought to have been on his own to wallow in self-sympathy, an aggressive Mrs. Robinson see an opportunity to exploit him. Mrs. Robinson was the wife of Benjamin’s father business partner. She subjected Benjamin in great seduction which farther added onto Benjamin’s confusion. The aim of this seduction was mainly for a sexual relationship. Lateran, Benjamin is reacquainted with Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, who they had not seen from the time when they were in high school. This lessened his confusion but made his life a bit complicated since he had an affair with Mrs. Robinson and now he is falling in love with Elaine her daughter who was home from college (“Movie Motors”). However, as complicated as life may appear to be on Benjamin, he realizes that he has to start striving to do what he believes should entail the successful life of a post-graduate individual. The movie also depicts the image of a 21-year-old young university graduate, Benjamin Braddock, who appears isolated and disembodied. Despite his apparent isolation, he is cited seated in a plane that is full of other passengers of varied ages (Carr and Staff). He was flying back home to Los Angeles after clearing his studies in a college that was in the East. Apparently, he wears a gloomy and slightly introverted face that seem expressionless, enervated and with a zombie appearance (McKittrick 12).
The genius of The Graduate is in catching a generational move through the basic story of Benjamin’s scan for a reason. The story is constantly private, individual and uniquely focused on one man. Be that as it may, the more extensive seismic move of the cutting edge stunned by the dream of their older folks while trying to break free is the quiet yet predominant background to Benjamin’s post-graduate summer. The main portion of the film comprises of none excessively unobtrusive pressure and enchantment, the men throughout his life tossing neglectful profession exhortation his way, now and again actually diminished to single word, while his father marches him in a scuba jumping suit expected to speak to logical accomplishment yet just serving to elevate Ben’s feeling of disengagement. Mrs. Robinson is steadier and more fruitful in her endeavors to draw Benjamin into her bed (Shimamura 122). With Anne Bancroft appreciating a mind-blowing job, Mrs. Robinson expertly catches Benjamin like a prized fish and reels him in with a mix of insights, temptation, adulation, and at last abuse that request his physical reaction.
Also, when she handles her trophy, Mrs. Robinson won’t let go. Benjamin speaks to her wellspring of youth, an explanation behind her to trust that she is as yet significant, the more established age sincerely and physically commanding the more youthful age, a procedure that works fine as long as the young keep their mouth closed. When Benjamin requests that they begin talking he isn’t content with what he hears, her possessiveness sowing questions in his psyche and setting off an experience with Elaine that will at long last begin to characterize a reason. Still under Mrs. Robinson’s impact Benjamin is at first reserved and merciless with Elaine, however, her quiet feebleness prevails upon him, and soon he realizes what genuine romance can offer his life. Unwinding himself from Mrs. Robinson’s grasp won’t be simple, however, it is never simple for any age to rise up out of the shadows, push off the weight of its senior citizens, and go for new skylines (Doordan 11).
In summary, this film is a classic one; it should still be looked at fairly and not held up to high esteem just because of its supposed classic nature. It’s themes of personal and social alienation and the constrictions of suburbia are dealt with well. It is there recommended that this is what sold the film as one of generational angst and parental alienation.
Works Cited
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- Doordan, Dennis P. ‘On materials.’ Design Issues 19.4 (2003): 3-8.
- Leibler, Ludwik. ‘Nanostructured plastics: Joys of self-assembling.’ Progress in polymer science 30.8-9 (2005): 898-914.
- Lewin, Tamar. ‘Report urges changes in teaching math.’ The New York Times (2008): A17.
- McKittrick, Casey. ‘I laughed and cringed at the same time’: shaping pedophilic discourse around American Beauty and Happiness.’ Velvet Light Trap 47 (2001): 3-15.
- Miller, Marc. ‘Of Tunes and Toons: The Movie Musical in the 1990s.’ Film Genre 2000: New Critical Essays (2000): 45-66.
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- Tomlinson, Brian. ‘Pragmatic awareness activities.’ Language Awareness 3.3-4 (1994): 119-129.
- Webb, Charles. The graduate. Simon and Schuster, 2002.
