The Graduate Essay, Research Paper

In the movie The Graduate, the main character Ben returns home from college and encounters a psychological crisis in the sense that he doesn t know who he is or what he wants. This is due in large part to his smothering parents. Though it may seem like he is a free man and entitled to do as he wished, it is much the contrary. Ben s parents suffocate him in every aspect of his live, giving him no personal freedom. It seems like everything that Ben does is for his parents rather than for himself. At one point in the movie, the father forces Ben s head back under water in pool after Ben tried to rise up. This reflects how his parents constantly push him in life. After all, it was his parents that forced Ben into the relationship with Elane in the first place. Even though Ben may be confused while going through an important part of life, his parents surly aren t helping the situation by trying to run his life.

Another cause that leads to Ben s crisis is his confusion on the issue of love and sex. This crisis is affected by the affair that he has with Mrs. Robinson. This affair cannot even be called a relationship because it is strictly sex. The absence of love and emotion is shown when Ben wants to talk to Mrs. Robinson, but she wants to take no part in any type of conversation. When it comes time for Ben to have an actual relationship, he has no clue what to do or how to act. To explain, he takes Elane to a strip club on their first date, humiliating Elane into tears. Without this knowledge on relationships, he almost lost Elane, his true love. And this due to the fact that all he has ever known is sex, and love was never included in any relationship. In conclusion, his ignorance to the difference between love and sex only adds to his crisis on whom he loves and what he wants.