Analysis of the Last Scene of "The Graduate"

            The famous ending scene from The Graduate made me want to figure out an explanation for it, since it didn't end with the cliché “happily ever after”.

     After watching the classic ending again, it dawned on me that Elaine and Ben wanted to rebel against their families from what they didn't want so badly, that they did not end up planning out what they truly wanted, and ran away only because it seemed exciting in the moment.  Ben used the cross as a deadbolt to lock everyone inside the church, which implies that he and Elaine were breaking free and rebelling against the holy church and the controlling norms of society.  It was also interesting because throughout the movie Ben felt trapped, until the very end, when he trapped people inside the church.

  When Ben and Elaine hop onto the bus, they’re laughing, ecstatic and proud of themselves for rebelling against their controlling families.  However, within seconds, their smiles fade and are replaced with worried expressions.  My interpretation of this ending is that the reality of what they have done dawns on them and they realize that they will have to get off the bus at some point and face the real world without jobs, money or even a change of clothes.

     When Ben and Elaine run from the church, they are surrounded by grass, trees and bushes, which reminded me of scenes of Ben and Mrs. Robinson, and the wild, forest-like green plants that were in the background.  After Ben realizes what he’s done and Elaine awkwardly glances at him before her expression matches his, there is a shot of the bus driving away, again surrounded by a jungle of trees.  In my opinion, this was done intentionally to depict the wild nature of what they were doing.

            There are no sound effects as Ben and Elaine run from the church, and all the audience hears is an echo of people banging against the doors and shouting.  However, as Ben and Elaine’s smiles start to fade as they are seated next to each other at the back of the bus, the song “The Sound of Silence” plays for the third time in the movie.  This song was played in the beginning of the movie as well as during Ben’s affair with Mrs. Robinson, both times when he was unsure of his feelings towards his life.  In my opinion, the song was played at the end to depict that even after taking the plunge and making the biggest decision of his life, Ben was not sure that this was what he wanted. 

            The director uses the element of movement at the end in an interesting way, which contrasts the starting scene of the movie.  In the beginning, Ben is on an airplane and then the moving walkway, which shows that he goes where he is taken without much effort on his part.  However, at the end of the movie, Ben drives, runs when he’s out of fuel, and then stops a bus without knowing where it will take him, all of which are done by his own willingness to make decisions, showing us how much the character has evolved during the movie.

     Ben and Elaine had only been on one real date, where he had humiliated her to tears by taking her to a strip club, and then kissed her for no real reason.  That, combined with the fact that Ben had an affair with her mother, should have been reason enough for Elaine to stay away from Ben, instead of leaving Carl at the altar for him.  In an earlier scene, Ben had confessed to his father that he was worried about his future, and that he wanted it to be “different”.  With this awkward expression on Ben and Elaine’s faces, the director shows us that they were running away only because it had seemed like a unique thing to do, not because they were truly in love.

     The framing of the windows on the bus is interesting because it divides the two characters, implying that they barely know each other and are not ready to run away with no clue what the future holds for them.  The lighting for the ending scene appears to be natural, with no shadows on their faces.  The camera follows Ben and Elaine from the moment they run out of the church, and the ending is a wide shot of the bus on an empty long road, which suggests that Ben and Elaine have a long way ahead of them, which they have not considered. 

     The end of the movie shows how Ben and Elaine were realizing that what they had done was irreversible, because they had cut everyone else out of their lives and caused a scene at the wedding, and were now stuck with each other whether they liked it or not.  Their acting and expressions were brilliant in the last scene, because it leaves an impression and you realize that a conscious effort has been made to make the ending have a lasting impact, instead of ending the movie with Ben and Elaine happily laughing in the bus.

     Throughout the movie, Ben has been dominated by his parents or Mrs. Robinson, and the first time he saw the chance to make a real decision for himself, it excited him and he didn't think it through.  This led to him having the same unhappy expression that he had had on the airplane at the beginning of the movie.  Mrs. Robinson tried to protect Elaine by keeping her away from Ben, but that just drove Elaine to let out her inner rebel.  I think the director is trying to convey that sometimes the older generation is right and they know best, since young people often don’t know what to do with their independence.  This is further re-enforced by the elderly bus driver and passengers that seem disapproving of them when they get on the bus to run away, since Ben and Elaine later realize that they made a mistake.

     The last scene leaves it up to the audience to figure out what will happen to Ben and Elaine, although it’s implied that although they didn't want to end up like their parents, they are probably going to end up in a loveless marriage like Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.