woman. 318 Some critics have viewed the ending as a message that ‘love conquers all’ 319 and Cardullo has noted that although Ben’s future is unsolved, for him, nothing is worth solving without Elaine. 320 Nichols states that this is a misinterpretation of The Graduate’s ending and that the film is about uncertainty, the generational gap, and the circle of life which ensures that Ben and Elaine will ultimately end up like their parents. 321 The film questions the plight of the young generation and asks if, once the thrill of protests and counterculture has worn off, whether they will end up with the ‘girl next door’ that their parents wanted them to in the first place. 322 The Graduate has been hailed as a milestone movie which paved the way for a more socially and politically conscious Hollywood. This essay argues that the assumption that The Graduate was a commentary on the turmoil of monumental events such as Vietnam and student protests is a gross overestimation. Nichols fails to acknowledge the presence of these events and the film is concerned with issues which were more psychological in nature. The film primarily addresses the ‘generational gap’ which became prevalent for Baby Boomers. Themes of glass and water, the film’s conclusion and the use of music and silence represent feelings of confusion and uncertainty which were prominent in society at the time. Aside from these themes, The Graduate does not address wider cultural change in the 1960s. The reading of Ben’s character as the embodiment of a rebellious generation is also a misinterpretation. Nichols himself did not see Ben as a hero and Ben’s actions throughout the film lend more
318 Stevens, Mike Nichols, 109. 319 Cardullo, Film Analysis, 111. 320 Ibid. , 116. 321 Whitehead, Appraising the Graduate, 2. 322 Cardullo, Film Analysis , 116.
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