Coming Of Age In The Film 'The Graduate'

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"The Graduate" has many different and complex themes that run throughout the film. The main theme of this story is the coming of age for a college graduate. Showing the theme coming of age is presented with a message of innocence being pushed into making undesirable decisions and learning how to deal with them. The characters put Ben into uncomfortable positions and can be seen as many different occurrences along with sex and relationships. It depicts a time when no one has any idea what the future has in store and makes the audience see his vulnerability to his surroundings. By portraying this to the audience, the story puts forth a message that coming of age is never how we interpret it to be.
Benjamin's uncertainty is what makes up …show more content…

Symbolism is used throughout the film in many different ways to show how Ben is still growing up and is deciding on how he wants his future to be. When Mr.Mcguire tells Ben the simple word “Plastics”, it catches him off guard. This scene is a great example of symbolism because that one word can only be described as an artificial substance. Plastic is not grown or found naturally anywhere, it can only be created by man. Synthetic is the only word to describe “Plastics” and that is what creates this unnatural vibe for Ben when he hears it. Ben does not want a synthetic life, in fact, he seeks the opposite. To Ben, a future in “plastics” sounds completely fake. Ben needs his future to be real and having a profession in “plastics” would not be real enough for him. Ben has been turned off by the idea of obtaining wealth like his father and seems to despise anything that would related to his father’s lifestyle. The symbolism in that scene can have many different meanings in the movie such as the pursuit of wealth like his father tries to force on him. It can even symbolise his relationship with Mrs. Robinson, completely …show more content…

The bus scene after the wedding is very symbolic and leads to the question “What now?” It appears clear that whatever happens next for Ben and Elaine it will not be forced upon them like all of the situations they faced throughout the movie. They both made the decision to break free from the restraint that the other characters put on them and now will live life how they wish. The change of facial expressions on both Ben and Elaine’s face go from happy at first to a dull more blank expression. Showing this sudden change in facial expression depicts the realization of how they will now have to live their lives. It is evident that they will not have “normal” lives anymore because Elaine just ran away from her wedding and Ben took Elaine away from her mother who he had an affair with. Holiday’s at the in-laws sounds ravaging. This is when everything that led to the church scene sets in and they must take accountability for it. This does not necessarily mean that they regret their decisions but only that they realize that they are now responsible for what the future holds now. The people on the bus stare at Ben and Elaine with confused expressions on their faces and that reveals to all of the viewers that we have to think about life's uncertainties and take responsibility for the

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