The Graduate

The movie that I have chosen to analyze is The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols and winner of an academy award for best director as well as six other nominations including best adapted screenplay.  It has stood the test of time and become known has a classic.  This is due to Mike Nichol’s careful direction and the screenplay’s strong structure 

            The Graduate is a story about a recent college graduate, Ben Braddock, who has found himself trapped in superficial or “plastic” world around him.  When Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner, advances on him, he, with hesitation, begins an affair with her.  This affair becomes conflicted when he realizes he has strong emotions for Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter.  After confessing of the affair to Elaine he finds himself at square one and heartbroken.  When Ben learns that Elaine is getting married he takes arms against his troubles and manages to win Elaine.  The movie ends with the famous shot of the two in the back of a bus with blank expressions on their faces.  

            The following analysis will examine the story from both a macro(scenes, characters, sequences etc…)   and micro(framing, composition, symbolism, etc..) perspective to determine how the structure manages to pull the audience in emotionally. 

            The story focuses singly on the journey of one character, Benjamin Braddock and it is structured in a way that he is in almost every scene and his actions drive the story through the three acts.  In order for the audience to care about this character the audience must be able to feel what the hero feels and be actively engaged in his decisions. This is achieved largely through the careful shot selections and framing of the camera.  One will see that the cinematography is rich with symbolism and is often placed in the point of view of the protagonist causing the audience to feel the way that the protagonist feels achieving a sense of empathy and support for the protagonist.  To prove this point the direction and cinematography will often be addressed.

            The Graduate begins with a close-up on Benjamin Braddock’s face.  This immediately establishes the main character.  The shot zooms out to reveal that he is on an airplane surrounded by bored, sleeping, expressionless people.  He blends right in.  The following shot is Ben standing expressionless on a moving walkway.  The composure in his face is almost robotic, he resembles an item coming down a factory line on a conveyer belt.  He is about to return home to a world of superficial people and this shot seems to be representing that visually. The shot lasts for over a minute allowing for a careful observation of our protagonist. Yet this pacing is intentional and works effectively for this story.  The audience interprets that our protagonist is in a daze.  He seems lost or out of place.  He seems unhappy and out of his element.  This starts the audience thinking critically about who Benjamin Braddock is.  Not only does this slow pace allow the audience time to think about the protagonist but also with the help of Simon and Garfunkel’s relaxing score the audience is put in a somewhat sedated state of mind that matches that of Benjamin causing a shared feeling with Ben.

            Next, is a shot of his bag going down the baggage claim.  It passes a sign that says “Do they match?”.  This introduces the major thematic premise.  The movie is about Benjamin Braddock feeling as if he does not fit in with the superficial world that he lives in.  The rest of the story will be about his journey trying to find where he fits, finding where he feels comfortable, finding his match. 

            Next, there is a close-up Benjamin with the same blank expression in front of a fish tank.  This image of Benjamin being underwater will continue throughout the movie as a motif implying that he is trapped, being drowned in a world that he doesn’t want to live in.  His father soon arrives and asks “what seems to be the matter?”.  Ben replies “I don’t know.  I guess its about my future.  I just want it to be different”.  The combination of the fish tank behind Ben with Ben declaring his need for a different future establishes Ben’s dramatic need.  In these first few minutes the audience has an understanding of who this protagonist is on an emotional level.  The next step of establishing the world of this story is seeing Ben interact with the other characters.

            He is thrown into a full house of family friends that all bombard him with questions and conversation.  The fast pace and close framing of the camera is overwhelming and does not give Ben or the audience a chance to breath.  This leads the audience to sympathize for Ben being stuck in this situation and establishes that Ben is clearly out of place.  It also establishes the characters in this world of “plastics” as unlikeable.

            At this point the world of the story has been established.  Ben has been identified as the one that the audience should pull for--the hero of the story. he is in a place that seems superficial and uncomfortable, and finally the dramatic need is clearly Ben’s search to change his future and prevent turning into another one of these “plastics”.

            During Mrs. Robinson urges Ben to drive her home from the party.  She talks him into having a drink leads him upstairs to Elaine’s room and eventually tells him “ don’t be nervous I want to Benjamin I want you to know that I am available to you and that if you won’t sleep with me this time I want you to know that you can call me up at any time and we can make an arrangement”.  Ben is uncomfortable in this situation and repeatedly tries to get out of it. 

            This sequence resembles the story of Adam and Eve from the Old Testament of the Bible in which a serpent(Mrs. Robinson) “slyer than in beast of the field” tempts Adam and Eve(Benjamin) to eat an apple(adultery) from the forbidden tree of knowledge(what society deems acceptable).  Adam and Eve are both curious and interested to try this forbidden fruit but are scared because they know that they are somewhere that they shouldn’t be.  Knowing that if they were to try it they would be breaking God’s one rule for them and thus be betraying what they must stand for.  Benjamin, just like this is tempted by Mrs. Robinson’s proposition but his inclination for doing what’s socially acceptable and fear of the consequences  prevents him from having sex with her. However, just as with Adam and Eve, the temptation will linger in the mind of Benjamin. 

            This is the “Refusal of the Call” aspect of the heroes journey.  According to Joseph Campbell this is the “awakening of the self”(Campbell, 42).  Ben has been introduced to the world but is not yet prepared to take part in it.  Mrs. Robinson is the “announcer of the advenure” who is commonly described as “dark, loathly or terrifying…yet if one could follow, the way would open through the walls of day into dark where the jewels glow”(Campbell, 42).  What this means in this story is that she is the one who has called him to this adventure and will be the cause of Benjamin finding a dangerous place, of which he may find what he wants but also much conflict in between. Not only is she the announcer of the story but at this point, the inciting incident we know that she will act as the main form of antagonism for the rest of the story. 

            A notable shot is of Ben through the legs of Mrs. Robinson.  The shot visually shows him being surrounded by her legs and he has a terrified look on his face. It tells the audience that she is a symbol of sex/desire and he is seemingly trapped, within her grasp.  She is clearly the anta

            When Ben finally leaves the Robinson’s the audience feels relieved but then is thrown right into the world of the plastics.  In this scene his parents have him demonstrate his new scuba gear.  They without any regard for his Ben’s feelings they coerce him to foolishly show off this new material that has been given to him.  This scene is a major beat in the story because it is the collision of the Ben and the pressures from his parents that lead to him calling Mrs. Robinson.

            One cinematic reason that this scene works is hold on this shot for a long time once again making us relate and sympathize for the hero.  This is a beat in the story because it reminds the audience of this world that Ben is unhappy in thus propelling justifies the following scene in which he takes action and take part in something against social acceptability propelling the protagonist to begin his journey. 

            The use of weather comes into play in this scene during POV shot of which his parents are highly overexposed causing a feeling of obtrusiveness.  When observing from Ben’s perspective we the sun is dramatically overexposing the shot.  This obtrusive light makes the viewer feel uncomfortable for two reasons.  Firstly, it the viewer of the pain sensation of sun shining in ones eyes but also causes the viewer struggle to see the picture on the screen.  This sense of discomfort is effective because it helps the audience feel the extreme discomfort that Ben is feeling at this moment and once again justify Ben’s decision in the next scene to call Mrs. Robinson. 

            This occurs when Ben calls Mrs. Robinson to meet him at the hotel.  We see that our hero is uncomfortable in this situation and nearly calls it off.  The major turning point is when Mrs. Robinson challenges his pride by calling him “inadequate”.  This sparks something inside that challenges him to prove to himself by having sex with her.  This is the first point that Ben has disregarded what society deems appropriate and takes a bite of the apple. This marks the first turning point in which the hero has made a transformation and entered a new world of the story. is taking a bite out of the apple, and accepting the risks that are involved.

            After this we see a montage of this affair taking place over the summer intercut with him floating in the pool.  The effect of the montage is to tell the audience that this affair has taken place over an extended period of time as well as it serves to show that he is happy for the first time.  The sequence appears to be a somewhat celebration of his, he seems like he’s been freed.

             The montage returns to the visual motif of water but this time he is no longer trapped under water by his parents but rather he is comfortably floating in the pool with sunglasses to protect himself from the obtrusive light that disturbed him earlier.

            However, Mrs. Robinson has been established as the antagonist, an unlikeable character and a member of the plastics so the audience knows that this euphoria cannot last forever.             As he continues this affair and seems to be enjoying the world around him, his parents continue to bug him, “ for a boy your age a little resting is okay but 5 weeks come on.. a boy should go take some stalk in himself”.  These are the pressures of society buzzing in again. The result of his parents’ pestering raises the stakes because it is a reminder that he has not yet escaped from these pressures. The hero may be pushing them off but the pestering will not go away.  

            The stakes are raised higher when Ben realizes that this affair is fulfilling him on a strictly physical level and has given him no emotional satisfaction from it. When he tries to connect emotionally with Mrs. Robinson it is clear that she will not have it. When Mrs. Robinson attacks his pride by implying that he is not good enough for her daughter.  The hero does not have the inner strength to stick to his guns and leave her. He angrily tries to end the affair but he does not have the inner strength to leave.   He gets back in bed and says, “lets not talk about it.  Let’s not talk at all” . ” and then promises “I will never take out remain Robinson”.  The hero has once again been manipulated by the antagonist and has shown that he is not powerful enough to overcome her temptations rather the hero has regressed back this only physical satisfaction.   It is clear at this point that the hero is still missing something. 

            The next major beat that raises the stakes is when Ben tries to relax in the pool as his parents circle him like sharks and pester him about taking Elaine on a date,Ben is trapped between his parents trying to guide his life decisions and the his own promise to Mrs. Robinson.   “if Ben absolutely refuses to take her out then I will simply have to invite all the Robinsons over on Thursday”

            In response to his mother’s statement Ben rolls off his raft and sinks back under the water.  Nichols’ is telling the audience that he has lost another battle and is trapped again by his parents.  

            Ben once again succumbs to the pressures of his parents and takes Elaine out on a date.  This raises the stakes in the story because the Ben is deliberately going against a promise that he made to the Mrs. Robinson.  This raises the tension high because the protagonist has made its first clear attack on the antagonist and is therefore a major step in the rising action. 

            When he meets Elaine we are introduced to the first character that, like Ben, the audience is intended to feel sympathetic towards.  In the scene of the date, Ben has now become the unlikeable character who has taken on the Ben who’s on an affair… when Ben realizes how he has hurt Elaine the act quickly stops.  One of the reasons this is important because the two of them are very alike.  They are two kids who have grown up in the world of “plastics” and don’t really seem to fit in.  This shocks Ben to discover someone with true emotion and although he may not know it now, it is what he has been looking for.  The introduction to Elaine therefore sparks the drive of Ben to do right and make right of his mistakes… they both are deep down trying to get out of this world that they are trapped in.  This scene, according to the Hero’s Journey, is when the hero meets his soul mate.  The role of the soul mate is to “encourage the hero to move forward” and this is exactly what Elaine has done.  She has inadvertently shown him that by taking part in an affair he is being superficial and avoiding true emotional investment, he realizes what he wants and is redirected on his journey. 

            The date scene leads to the next major beat in which the antagonist makes the first direct attack on the protagonist… Mrs. Robinson tries to stop the second date by threatening to tell Elaine everything”.  He responds by going to Elaine and telling her first, while he knows this is will likely tear apart his work so far to achieve, Elaine, the object of his desires, he accepts the consequences in order to be true to Elaine.  At this point both of Ben’s worlds have collided, his past superficial affair with Mrs. Robinson and his new love for Elaine. This point is the temptation to overcome in which the “hero often misled eventually overcomes his lack of and his fear and begins to accept the role of the hero”.   Ben no longer gives into the traps of those superficial forces around him but takes arms against the Mrs. Robinson to chose honest over cowardice. 

            Elaine’s anger from finding this out puts Ben in the midpoint of the story.  He has taken action trying to do what’s right and it seems that he has lost everything.  This puts the character in a position of which motivation to achieve the hero’s goal is seemingly lost.  

            Rain is used in this scene in a way that is commonly seen in movies.  It is the dark point in the story and everything, all hopes and dreams seem to be raining down on him.  The use of weather may be a cliché (especially at the midpoint of a movie) but in this case it seems to work well to set the depressed tone of the scene. 

            After Ben has left he sees that Elaine is moving away.  A shot of his father cleaning the pool is behind him, reminding the audience of the world he’s found himself back in, and Elaine is in front of him which represents the Ben’s object of desire.  This the moment when Ben has a sense of clarity and can View the world of the Picture.  Ben stands once again between the two worlds and makes a decision to himself.  He goes to his parents and says:

            Ben:                                    I’m going to marry Elaine Robinson

            Mr. Braddock:                        Ben this whole idea seems pretty half baked.

            Ben:                                    No its not. Its completely baked.  It’s a decision I’ve made.

            Mrs. Braddock:            Well what makes you think she wants to marry you?

            Ben:                                     She doesn’t. To be perfectly honest she doesn’t like me.

At this point the hero as transitioned further from the self-conscious world of the plastics.  He doesn’t care how foolish his plan sounds to his parents, he has made up his own mind and no outside influence or manipulation will change it. 

            The point of which we see Ben driving off towards Berkeley marks the beginning of the third act.  From here there will be a series of beats that raise the stakes, take the hero further away from his first world and challenge his will to succeed. This will continue until the hero reaches the climax, his final battle with the antagonist to obtain the object of the hero’s desire.  Ben goes to Berkeley to convince Elaine to marry him.

            First time that states are raised is when Ben learns that Elaine has a boyfriend and tells Ben to just leave her alone.  This does not stop the Ben, he is set on his mission and manages to meet with her, here finds out that Elaine has a boyfriend and that he should just go home.  As a hero, Ben refuses to give up this easily.  According to A Hero’s Journey  this is the refusal of the return. The protagonist has had a failed attempt to obtain the object of his desire and will now have and learned that she will be harder to get to then he originally had thought.  This once again raises the stakes. 

            The final raising of the stakes before the sequence of the climax is when Mr. Robinson comes to him.  Mr. Robinson tells him that he and Mrs. Robinson are getting a divorce because of him, he threatens to put Ben behind bars, and into prison.  An interesting note-this scene demonstrates the effective direction of Nichol’s and his ability to make an audience sympathize with the man who had an affair rather than the man who’s been cheated on. 

            At this point in time the character has been fully developed from a man trapped in a society of “plastics” to a man who will do what is necessary to stand up and get what he wants.  The final transformation has been made and now it is time for the climax to test whether he has what it takes to go against his old world and stand up against his antagonist to achieve the object of his desire. 

            The climax uses a variety of cinematic elements in order to heighten this scene to the highest intensity out of all the scenes thus far.  First of all, we know that Elaine will be getting married any minute and if Ben doesn’t make it then all will be lost.  This technique is called the ticking clock, it adds a sense of  both urgency to the sequence. 

            Secondly, we are never shown the wedding until Ben gets there.  Many times a director would use parallel editing in a chase/pursuit sequence but in this case it is more effective to leave the audience wondering when it could happen.  It’s the same idea as in Jaws when people are sent into the water, but the audience knows that there is still a man-eating shark in there and does not know when it is going to attack.  The tension is raised because of the unknown. 

            Thirdly, one of the most influential tools and likely more subconscious tools used in this scene is the use of sound.  The sound is fast paced and loud through the entire pursuit sequence unitl Benjamin arrives at the church.  At this point the music is completely removed.  This is the most dramatic scene in the movie and there is literally no music—a brave directorial decision.  This works though because the silence acts as a vacuum for the audience, all of the attention is directed to Ben and his final attempt to win Elaine over.  Actually, not quite all of the music is removed, there are three chords that are abrasive and staccato.  The effect of these reminds me of the high squeaks in the shower scene of psycho, they are unpleasant, and unexpected surprise and unease in the viewer. 

            The crossing the threshold is when he wards off Mrs. Robinson with a cross and fights his way out of the church.  The hero goes against the main antagonizing theme of feeling trapped.  He is now doing what he wants to do and fighting against the world of the story has escaped the entrapment and manipulation of the plastics.  This point is the rebirth of Ben as a hero. 

            Finally, the resolution of the story occurs very quickly.  It is just one shot of the two of them riding in the bus.  First they are smiling from ear to ear.  And then their smiles slowly fade.  Theyn they are straight faced and look at eacher with an awkward expression.  Finally, Ben has the same face that resembles that from the first shot of the movie when he sits emotionless on the airplane.  The questions that are raised include: what was the real purpose of eachother’s attraction?  Was it because they loved each other or were they both trying to escape from the pressures of their parents?  Personaly, I believe that Nichols was trying to show us that they both were going for each other because it represented a way in which they could break from the controls of others.  It was about an act of rebellion of which they both needed to take part of.  The uncomfortable expressions of which they make near the end shows that these two people are still strangers to an extent.  Elaine was the object of Ben’s desire but his real dramatic need was to do something on his own without the influence of others.  She was like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, it was not important what the contents were in the suitcase but rather it was the transformation that it caused in the main characters. 

            The purpose of this paper was to Benjamin Braddock’s journey in The Graduate in order to understand how and why this story structure was successful.   This was done by using a variety of sources such as  The Hero with A Thousand Faces,  A Hero’s Journey,  and information provided by the lectures in class.  The story seemed to fit into the structures proposed in this material and illustrates the point that having a strong structure can be a successful tool in drawing an audience in and grabbing onto them throughout