The Graduate Essay Questions

What are some of the ways Mike Nichols aligns the viewer with Benjamin Braddock's plight?

Nichols uses perspective, camera angle, soundtrack, and the performances of his actors to align the viewer with Ben's situation. Often shot in close-up, Benjamin's facial expressions reveal his inner life and make the viewer feel a closeness with his situation. Some scenes are shot from his perspective, such as the scene in which he goes scuba diving in the pool. Quick zoom-ins create suspense in the more tense scenes of the movie. Simon and Garfunkel's soundtrack often underscores Benjamin's dilemmas and emotional life, and give us a window to his more contemplative or anxious states of mind. Finally, Mike Nichols' casting of Dustin Hoffman and the performance he was able to encourage give Benjamin a dimensionality that is easy to relate to and sympathize with.

Why does Mrs. Robinson forbid Benjamin from dating Elaine?

While Benjamin suspects Mrs. Robinson of not thinking he is good enough to date Elaine, this is likely not the only reason, and her forbidding is more probably the result of jealousy and a desire for control. Mrs. Robinson is unable to sympathize with the complicated situation Benjamin finds himself in when his parents and Mr. Robinson coax him into taking Elaine out. Rather than try and understand where he is coming from and understand Benjamin and Elaine's mutual attraction, Mrs. Robinson goes to vengeful lengths to prevent their connection, even accusing him of rape. Mrs. Robinson reveals herself as the true antagonist of the story, even if the viewer can sympathize with her unfortunate lot in life, by taking her jealousy and bitterness out on her own daughter and the boy with whom she initiates an affair.

Why is Benjamin so aimless after graduation?

As he explains to Elaine in the car at the drive-up, Benjamin feels an almost unconscious drive to be rude after graduating from college, as a reflection of his irreverence towards a world that seems like a game that doesn't make any sense. Benjamin doesn't want to just follow the path that has been prescribed to him by his parents and their friends, but rather wants to break free from the strictures of society and find an authentic path. The only problem is he doesn't actually know what kind of path he wants to take, and as such remains unmotivated and limply rebellious, embarking on a risky affair and lounging around in the pool. It is not until he meets Elaine, a worthy confidant for his existential fears and concerns, that Benjamin is able to access a sense of purpose and become a proactive agent of his own future.

Is Mrs. Robinson sympathetic at all?

Depending on your perspective, Mrs. Robinson can easily be seen as a vengeful and cruel antagonist. When she accuses Benjamin of rape, a patent lie, the audience gets a glimpse into the lengths she will go to assassinate his character and thwart his love for Elaine. The movie also paints a more complicated portrait of her, however, as a frustrated and blocked housewife with addiction problems and a loveless marriage. When Benjamin presses her for more details of her life, we learn that she was once an art student who was forced into her marriage to Mr. Robinson because of a pregnancy. In this light, we can see her more sympathetically, as a young person who had to enter an ambivalent union before she was ready and is now suffering the consequences. Mrs. Robinson is bored, blocked, and frustrated, and her only outlet is the seduction of a young contemporary of her daughter. Mrs. Robinson is unable to reflect on the sadder portions of her life, however, and takes out her frustration on those around her, positioning her firmly as an antagonist, if a complicated one.

In what ways is Carl Smith a foil for Benjamin Braddock?

Carl Smith is the clean-cut, pre-professional fiancé of Elaine, after she has rejected Benjamin. Where Benjamin is awkward and aimless, Carl is polished and prepared. Benjamin was a literary and contemplative student, while Carl belongs to a fraternity of blonde and hyper-masculine jocks. When Benjamin visits the fraternity to investigate where the wedding is taking place, one of the brothers objectifies Elaine and sends a message to Carl to "leave some for the rest of us," which disgusts Benjamin. While Carl might be a model citizen and the image of a heroic male, the company he keeps is sexist and disrespectful. Benjamin and Carl are polar opposites, which only increases the tension when Elaine must choose between them.