Isolation In The Film 'The Graduate'

Isolation is a critical theme in the film The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols. The film centers around twenty-one year old Benjamin Braddock who has just graduated from college. Ben is facing adulthood and realizes that he doesn’t fit in with his generation nor does he fit in with his parents generation. He feels so lost that he resorts to having an affair with the wife of his father’s business partner, Mrs. Robinson. Whether it’s moving himself to a separate room or hiding at the bottom of the pool, Ben isolates himself because it’s his way of coping with his inability to connect with those around him and his uncertainty of the future. The director and cinematographer use stylistic techniques such as various camera shots, a unique soundtrack

and mise en scene to convey this theme of isolation.
Moving camera shots are used throughout the movie to display the psychological and physical isolation that Ben experiences. The film opens with a close up of Ben’s stoic face. He shows no emotion and is looking straight ahead. It appears that he is sitting completely alone, however, the camera zooms out and quickly shows that Ben is actually on a flight filled with passengers. Using a zoom shot is highly effective because the close up allows viewers to concentrate on Ben’s expressionless look and then realize as the camera zoom’s out that even on a plane filled with people, he feels alone. When Ben arrives home, his exuberant parents throw him a homecoming party. A long, shaky hand-held shot follows Ben around the house. Ben can’t avoid any of the guests - all of whom want to speak about his accomplishments or about his future. The hand held shot follows Ben’s frustration and the camera’s close proximity to the guests show us how Ben is being hounded for conversation. A group of elderly women have great expectations for Ben and one of them asks, “What are you going to do now?” regarding Ben’s future. Ben responds with, “I was going to go upstairs for a minute” (Nichols 5). The shakiness of the camera during this scene makes the audience feel Ben’s anxiousness and desire to be distanced from the guests at his own party. Perhaps, the most symbolic scene of isolation is the scuba scene. It is Ben’s twenty first birthday and a point-of-view shot is used, showing what Ben sees through his scuba mask. The shot shows the oval shape of the mask which is a narrow view. As Ben walks towards the pool to show off his new diving suit, his family cheers him on. The camera is shaky and not fixed because it gives the audience the perspective of Ben walking. Ben’s parents’ voices are muted and instead Ben’s scuba mask breathing is heard, separating him from what is going on around him. The camera goes underwater to show that Ben is at the bottom of pool to get away from the pressure of his family who try to show him off like a trophy. The point-of-view shot lets the audience experience things from Ben’s perspective and experience the isolation that he creates for himself.
The Graduate’s soundtrack consists of many songs from the duo, Simon and Garfunkel, that contribute to the emotional isolation Ben experiences.

The first song played is “The Sounds of Silence,” which is somber and melancholy with its soft voices and instruments. The song plays along with a dull and repetitive recording while Ben stands alone on the moving walkway at the busy LAX airport. The song’s lyrics reinforce Ben’s feeling of isolation, “And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening” (Nichols 00:01:34). Right away the unhappy music and lyrics give the feeling that Ben is absent from his life and is surrounded by people that have nothing important to say. The song establishes the anxiety that Ben will experience throughout the film which is that of not being able to connect with the generation above him and worrying that his own generation is becoming a superficial and apathetic culture. Later, there is a montage that uses “Sounds of Silence” and transitions into “April Come She Will.” The montage shows Ben going through his monotonous daily routine and then meeting up with Mrs. Robinson for their loveless affairs. The music reminds the audience how detached Ben is even in an activity that should be intimate. “April Come She Will” plays while Ben walks back and forth between the worlds of Mrs. Robinson and his parents, neither of which he is pleased with. This song is about a love burning

out. While Ben and Mrs. Robinson never love each other, Ben’s excitement of the affair has burnt out. Lastly, on Ben and Elaine’s date, classic 60’s teenagers blast Simon and Garfunkel's, “Big Green Pleasure Machine” from their car radio. Ben asks them to turn it down but is ignored, proving that no one listens to him and that he is isolated from his own generation. Ben closes his convertible top to separate himself from the noise of his own crowd. However, the loud song is still heard blasting in the background.
The mise en scene of the film shows Ben’s separation through glass motifs, depressing colors, and a tight aspect ratio.

Along with water, glass is one of the most reoccurring symbols throughout the movie. Shots through glass symbolize Ben’s division from the outside world. He is either physically enclosed in glass such as a telephone booth or he is isolated behind glass barriers. In the last scene of the movie, Ben tries to stop Elaine from getting married while he stands on a church balcony looking down at the ceremony through a large plate-glass. He hopelessly waves his arms around and calls out Elaine’s name, but the ceremony is already concluded. The director purposefully includes glass in the frame as a symbolic implication. Ben can see through the glass but not pass through, limiting his ability to communicate. The mise en scene of Ben’s sexual relationship with Mrs. Robinson is notable for its colors and shape that present a dismal and confined atmosphere. The colors, black and white, are common in the hotel room scenes which signify the sterility of their relationship. Ben’s unhappiness couldn't be clearer than when he comments to Mrs. Robinson, “All we ever do is come up here and throw off the clothes and leap into bed together” (Nichols 50). The serious colors make the audience see that the affair with Mrs. Robinson is formal and alien. Lastly, the cinematographer chose a 2.35:1 aspect ratio for the film. This cuts off part of the image and makes the shots tighter.

Letterboxing the film with that aspect ratio creates the perfect amount of space for the arrangement of actors and props to express Ben’s state of isolation. It allows for long takes and slow camera movements which are utilized throughout the film.
After watching The Graduate, the audience is more understanding of Ben’s character and the isolation he experiences through the use of deliberate camera movement shots, a generally solemn soundtrack, and the clever use of mise en scene. All of these techniques communicate the theme without the use of dialogue. Though this movie was made in 1967, younger generations today can still empathize with Ben’s character and deal with the same coming of age problems. Unfortunately, the pressure of moving on to new stages of life are still as stressful as they were in the sixties when The Graduate was made.