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.
