Analysis Of The Graduate

The Graduate rewrote the history of the romantic comedy by combining it with social satire. The Graduate was released during the New Hollywood era. In 1967, America was dealing with many tumults such as the Vietnam War, sexual revolution, free love phase and other similar things. The Graduate “problematizes the political naivety and human immaturity of the youth rebellion and the impregnability of the system” (50). However, I think the ambiguous ending and other stylistic qualities reflect modernism. The Graduate reflects use of satire of suburbia life and old Hollywood by the ambiguous ending of a happily ever after.

Benjamin is the anti-hero of The Graduate. He is a character entrapped in the suburbs desperately looking for another escape that college had probably given him. This pegs him as an easy target for the middle-aged Mrs. Robinson. Both characters feel alienated in their worlds. The Graduate introduces the “generation gap by making the hero’s affair with the heroine’s mother an obstacle to the young lovers’ union” (50). The two rival women- young innocent doe-eyed daughter Elaine and her mother, Mrs.

Rather than hiring a composer to create music for the soundtrack, the director chose instead to use them, an unusual approach at the time, but one which would contribute greatly to the film’s popularity. The scene with Dustin Hoffman floating in the pool of his parent’s house introduces his life to seem monotonic. When Hoffman opens his eyes, he merely looks straight ahead. The song, “The Sound of Silence,” plays as the camera follows his wordless sexual agreement with Mrs. Robinson and his wordless communication with his parents as he shuts the door. It degrades the superficiality of Ben’s grown-up surroundings and elevates Ben’s awkward quest for something different from his parent’s life. Garfunkel’s protest songs help the audience relate to