Part of Your World: Water Symbolism in The Graduate

 Tova Byrne

Part of Your World: Water Symbolism in The Graduate

Benjamin Braddock is established immediately as a fish out of water. When the opening credits of Mike Nichols’ The Graduate subside, the first shot is a centered, almost uncomfortably tight close up of Ben’s head in front of a fish tank. The fish swim aimlessly in their confined space and a figurine of a scuba diver (foreshadowing!!) amongst artificial seaweed as Ben sits for a moment. Ben is dragged from the solitude of his bedroom and submerged fully in the party, and as the proximity of this long take to Ben’s face and the bombardment of the well-intended questions about the future from his parents’ friends create a sense of suffocation. Ben is in a fish tank; this is the world he has been put in by his parents, and, although he may have other fish to interact with, he will always be confined within its glass walls.

In fact, the whole film seems to be hopping from fish tank to fish tank in a desperate clamor to escape. Ben fishes the keys out of the tank in his room at the very beginning of his spiral into his affair with Mrs. Robinson. For a moment, perhaps he has found a way out of his parents’ world. Ben spends an entire montage floating, purposeless, in his parents’ pool. “Well - I would say that I'm just drifting,” he says from the raft in response to his father’s aggravated questions about what he thinks he’s doing. But the presence of water in this film is beyond just fish tanks and water rafts, it also presents itself in one of the most classic moments of the film. As a 21st birthday gift, Ben’s parents buy him a full set of scuba gear. This succeeds in not only figuratively but almost literally alienating him (for there is no denying how unbelievably strange he looks in the complete getup.) In addition, it is but another instance in which Ben is suffocating in the world of his parents. The scene is uncomfortable to watch due to it being shot from Ben’s point of view (sound as well) along with the fact that as he tries to surface, his father pushes him back under for the sake of demonstrating this party trick for the sake of the guests. The camera zooms out and Ben looks small, almost doll-like in the pool, and we remember the figurine in the shot that we started with.

“In this case it was drowning in things,” director Mike Nichols explained, talking about how he portrayed Ben’s isolation in the film. “And the danger of becoming a thing, the danger of treating yourself or other people as things. So that preoccupation led to the choices of the compositions of shots, and where the camera was and how isolated he was.”

The Graduate

It was pretty hard to concentrate on the movie itself of The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols since I really did not like the main male character. I strongly disrespected him because he did everything the mother told him to do and he couldn't make his own choices. He was a grown man but acted like a lost child which for some reason really frustrated me. Finally at the very ending of the story he disobeys the mothers wishes and shows up at the daughters wedding and him and the daughter run away. This scene expresses the happiness they have while running away and a powerful chase for not listening to what is told to do. As soon as they sit in the back of the bus, the smiles fade and reality hits wondering what will happen next. This is the one scene I enjoyed the presence of the main character as he did what felt right to do for him and after he made the first step or that leap of faith to take the daughter away, everything else will come naturally if its all meant to be but the awkwardness as the end is extreme as the viewer can tell both the daughter and the boy wondering what will come next.

The Graduate

The film The Graduate introduces character Ben as a character with a boring life lead by anyone but himself. The key relationship in this movie is the relationship between Ben and Mrs. Robinson. At first, Ben was horrified and had absolutely no interest in pursuing an affair with Mrs. Robinson. Ben then realizes shortly after this interaction how little control and excitement there is in his life. Although he is an award winning scholar, his self confidence is at an all-time low now that he is no longer in school. Ben decides to pursue a relationship with Mrs. Robinson not only for his own sexual pleasure, but to satisfy his emotional desires. Ben does not use Mrs. Robinson for sex nearly as much as he uses her for someone to simply be with. An example of this would be when they are in the hotel room and Ben insists to Mrs. Robinson that they just talk instead of having sex. In their conversation, Mrs. Robinson laughs at the joy Ben has just knowing the smallest details of her stories, such as what her major was in college. This is because Ben is not used to this type of conversing, so even hearing the smallest detail will intrigue him. Ben doubts that he will like Mrs. Robinson's daughter because of the emotional connection that he has with Mrs. Robinson, he doesn't think it is possible to be close to anyone else. Ben is shocked when he starts to have feelings for Mrs. Robinson's daughter. They converse very easily, and their relationship is so much more innocent and meaningful. Ben discovers that his relationship with Mrs. Robinson was meaningless, and that they are better people out there with sweeter hearts, and that is why he leaves her.

The Graduate

The Graduate was a very good movie that used camera angles very effectively to show power and superiority in characters, especially between Mrs. Robinson and Ben. Mrs. Robinson throughout the whole movie but especially at the begining was significantly more powerful then Ben. The camera angles showed this by using a lot of low angle shots on Mrs. Robinson when it would seem that Ben is looking at her to make her seem dominant. Mrs. Robinson had the perfect attitude in the Graduate that mixed great with Ben's. The transformation of Ben from a shy, quite, nice guy to more of a Mrs. Robinson type personality was one of the main ideas that made the Graduate so entertaining. The movie is very funny because Mrs. Robinson uses her seductive ways to get what she wants from Ben but she then clearly tells him to leave her daughter alone. Instead, Ben uses the seductive things that Mrs. Robinson used on him to get her daughter Elaine. This is a very interesting turning point in the film and almost like a second storyline after Ben begins his relationship with Elaine. I think the fact that this movie was made in the 1960's makes it very interesting and a lot more realistic of a situation. I think for the same guy to have slept with an older mother and then also her daughter is something that would only happen in the 60's. This makes The Graduate a great overall movie and definitely a movie id recommend.    

The Graduate

Of all the movies we have viewed in Critical Analysis of Film and Literature, The Graduate was by far the best. Unsure why we spent all that time watching those disturbing movies, but hey whatever floats your boat. The Graduate harnessed romance, comedy and suspense. The twists and turns kept the viewer's attention even though there were times where the movie got a little dusty. And by those times I mean when he is stalking Elaine from when she leaves her home and travels all the way back up to Berkley. Playing the same song, Sound of Silence, a very dull and somber tune, over and over again. But just when you're about to doze off director, Mike Nichols, pulls you back in with some action and a change of pace, even though that led to another round about of the song it ended in good time. The twists and turns I am referring to would be from the very beginning Mrs. Robinson seducing him in his home at his graduation party. And even on from then his continuation of the affair, until finally he falls in love with her daughter, like what. Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised by this film and its ability to keep my attention, it held a very very interesting plot line and utilized many of the things we've learned in class.

The Graduate Post

          The Graduate was very similar to Lost in Translation in that it was all kind of one idea, very simple, dragging on in my opinion. I liked the Graduate better, but only really because of the director’s use/choice of music. The movie started off with Benjamin graduating, and not really knowing what to do with his life or what purpose he had since he wasn't in school anymore. He found Elaine through Mrs. Robinson, and from then one, he found his “hobby”; finding Elaine, being with her, pretty much to the point that he would do anything to see her, including stalking her. Simon and Garfunkel music played over and over throughout the movie, which I personally didn't mind because I like the music, but it also showed that Benjamin was kind of in a standstill and wasn't moving forward at all. The ending of the movie really tied together the rest of the movie and put it in a full circle for me. When Benjamin went barging into the church like a crazy man, banging on the glass for Elaine, this seemed like the last straw, his last hope for getting her. It worked, surprisingly, and they ran out and onto the municipal bus looking happy and excited to start a new life. After a minute, it was sort of like “now what” for both of them, and the sound of silence played again. Benjamin’s gaze changed, and once again he didn't seem satisfied because he had completed his “mission” of getting Elaine.

The Graduate and why Soundtrack is important

Wow. What a soundtrack. The majority of the soundtrack is performed by Simon and Garfunkel, and it fits the plot, characters and setting incredibly well. Songs like "The Sound of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson" are used several times in different moods and fashions that fit various scenes. The sound of silence is generally used for softer, more somber, sadder scenes. Mrs. Robinson is usually used for faster, more upbeat signs and the like. Scarborough Fair is also used selectively, as a bit of a transitional piece to the latter half of the movie. It's used as a piece to represent the moving on of the plot and maturing of the characters.

Also, Mrs. Robinson sold a metric butt-ton,  and beat out The Beatles "White Album," so that's impressive.

The Graduate - Camera Angles

Mike Nichols uses different camera angles masterfully in "The Graduate" to enhance his scenes and to portray characters in different ways. For example, high angle shots are often used to show a character in an inferior position or mood, where he or she is not the one dominating the conversation or having their way. This is shown below in a conversation between Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson. Mrs. Robinson is trying to have her way, and as he put it, she is trying to "seduce" Benjamin. She is in a position of power, and is shown in a low angle shot in order to portray this (also shown below). Benjamin is shown frequently in high angle shots throughout the film, as he is often on the defensive side of conversations and interactions. Mrs. Robinson is usually shown in a low angle shot in her encounters with Benjamin because she mostly dominates him and gives him orders throughout the movie. Benjamin's lower position is confirmed when he unconfidently says, "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.... Aren't you?" at the end of this scene. This is fitting, as the main plot of the story, and especially the ending, are centered around Benjamin and Elaine growing up and taking charge of their own lives. Since the scene I referenced (which is shown below) is earlier in the movie, I believe it serves as great evidence of character growth and plot progression with the use of different camera angles. Overall, this is very well utilized by Mike Nichols.

^High Angle Shot^

^Low Angle Shot^

The Graduate post

In the movie The Graduate, the element of music helps portray a major theme in Benjamin's life. In the very beginning of the film, the song The Sound of Silence is symbolic of the character's unknowingness of where his life will lead him after completing his freshman year of college. Through the use of close up shots and this particular song, the audience is able to observe Benjamin's facial expressions and the sense of loneliness and unknowingness he feels after his parents and neighbors ask him what he has planned for himself next. The theme of oblivion is a clear theme throughout Benjamin's journey as we watch him fall in to Mrs. Robinson's trap, all the while unaware of either of their intentions for the future. As the film continues, Mike Nichols uses the song Scarborough Fair/Canticle as his motif. By repeatedly incorporating this one song into several different scenes, it also helps portray Benjamin's feeling of stillness; no matter how hard his efforts, he is unable to completely win Elaine and her parents over. At the very end of the film however, Nichols once again uses The Sound of Silence, as the closing song of the movie while Elaine and Benjamin ride off together on a bus, totally unaware of where their lives will lead them next. While watching this film my attention was easily drawn to the intriguing soundtrack it includes, much to the credit of what each song symbolizes in Benjamin's life. In my opinion, what makes this film stand out from all of the others that we have watched in class, is the strategic and creative use of music to help keep the audience's attention even when there is no dialogue, and also portray certain characteristics of Benjamin as a person.