The Graduate is drowning in water symbolism and this water is a very important aspect in understanding the film as a whole. Ben’s parents have a set viewpoint that he is their ‘trophy’ to show off to everyone. In a suburban setting much like that of this film, people like Ben, who try to get out and seek something more than this world they’re living in, often have trouble doing so since they are surrounded by people consumed by suburbia and the plastic lifestyle.
Ben is on a journey seeking freedom from this lifestyle. The water presented throughout The Graduate shows the audience a simple symbol of the inescapability of modern day suburbia and falling victim to the plastic lifestyle. It is a recurring visual presented throughout the film to emphasize Ben’s problem, oftentimes demonstrating this through the representation of ‘drowning’ and submersion. He lives day to day just going through the motions of a mundane lifestyle and the water in The Graduate really shows this in a unique way.
In this scene, We are presented with the image of Ben as if he is in the fish tank. It is important to note that Ben’s head is positioned in a manner such that it appears as if he is, in fact, underwater. In addition, we see a scuba diver in the fish tank. This is a visual aid demonstrating the oppressiveness that he is facing from his parents. The viewer must remember this particular prop later in the film, since it will be important in the recurrence of themes.
Water was shown in a particularly interesting manner in this scene. It appears that at this point in the plot, Ben is caught in the trap that Mrs. Robinson has presented him with and is, in a sense, being sucked into suburbia. It could be interpreted as if Ben is just drifting along through this suburbia. This is interesting as the entire movie, he is trying to choose his own destiny and escape this exact lifestyle. Is this a representation of Ben falling victim to the plastics and just going with the flow of what is surrounding him, or is this showing us that he is exactly where he wants to be, above water, above the oppression and suffocation that has been coming from his parents? I guess it’s up to whoever is interpreting it!
The H2O in this scene is important! It starts off from his view of the outside world from within the mask gives us the image of Ben’s constant feeling of entrapment. Even when he is trying to come up from underwater, his father pushes him back under and ‘buries him’ in the suburbia. Ben is being forced to ‘drown’ in a world of his parents creation and he now serves as a token of their accomplishments. The way the image of a scuba diver is presented twice is curious. Being presented a second time, this image really made me think of a trophy. The way the camera zooms out at the end of this scene shows how small Ben is compared to the water. I love that he is standing in a stance that just makes me picture a trophy. He is under so much pressure from them, again represented by the heavy weight and vastness of the water suffocating him, that he is made unable to find a passion or something truly amazing and unique in his life even if his parents can still use him as a focal point for conversation.
In my professional opinion as a lifeguard put on this world to save lives of distressed swimmers, I can tell you that the message presented with the different ways that the audience is presented with water in this film is crucial to the overall understanding of The Graduate.
Sum 41 had views similar to Ben… “I don’t want to waste my time become another casualty of society. I’ll never fall in line become another victim of your conformity.”