The Graduate Pool Scene Analysis

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The Graduate (1967) This film also portrays an anti-hero who is easily relatable, similarly to Bonnie and Clyde, but this character is slightly more sympathetic than those outlaws. Benjamin Braddock is a lonely man who lacks a purpose in life, meaning that he has no idea what to do after his graduation from college, and the movie cleverly visualizes his feelings through abstract symbolism. In the scene where he walks toward the pool in his scuba diver gear, I can see and hear everything from his perspective, but I could only hear the sound of his own breathing. Ben’s parents were talking during this scene, but I could only see their lips move. This means that Ben could not hear anybody except himself, just like me, and this both emphasizes his isolation and allows the viewers to experience the isolation. Another effective scene takes place right after the previous one, where he is inside the pool, surrounded by its cloudy water. The fact that he is the only one in the pool clearly resembles his loneliness, while the unclear water represents how uncertain he is about his future. Additionally, this event serves as a last straw for him in terms of his obedience to his parents, for he decides to accept Mrs.…show more content…
Robinson’s manipulation. At the beginning of the film, she takes advantage of his weaknesses and uses guilt to lure him into her seduction. She also convinces him to start the affair by calling him “inadequate,” which triggers his inner sense of rebellion and removes his hesitation. Basically, I think Mrs. Robinson is really the one who started the affair, even though Ben decides to go through with it; if she had left him alone, then Ben might have had an easier time getting together with Elaine, who actually becomes his purpose in life. I understand that Mrs. Robinson was doing this in an act of desperation, but that does not stop me from disliking
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