seen as an attempt for Ben and Elaine to observe the constraints of the world they live in from inside the ‘tank’ 314 , a more challenging and convincing interpretation suggests that this is Ben’s deliberate attempt to separate himself from the challenging presence of the counterculture’s world. Nichols himself explained that he never intended for Ben and Elaine to be perceived as heroes 315 , and saw the film as a representation of the “Los Angelization of the world in which things take over a person’s life.” 316 Nichols’ work can be read as a new take on the American Dream, one which differs from the materialistic qualities of Ben’s parents’ ideals. The original Dream is concerned fundamentally with wealth and to achieve it, one must be rich in possessions and must display these accordingly. For Ben and for the counterculture of the 1960s, the American Dream transformed into a symbol of hope for a brighter future, one where equality prevailed and oppression from ‘plastic’ life was obsolete. 317 The famous finale of The Graduate leaves viewers with an unresolved ending. Ben manages to prevent Elaine’s permanent descent into the tank by crashing her wedding to Carl Smith. The couple escape the glass church and symbolically trap the seething adults inside with a cross. This not only represents Ben and Elaine’s liberation, but signifies the older generation’s own entrapment within religious institutions. The couple ride off into the unknown on a bus with dazed expressions on their faces. “The Sound of Silence” plays and Ben’s story has come full circle as he is carried into an uncertain future, yet again accompanied by a married
314 Cardullo, Film Analysis, 111. 315 Whitehead, Appraising the Graduate, 2. 316 Ibid. , 71. 317 Whitehead, Appraising the Graduate, 115.
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