OVERLAY REPORT

The title of the 1967 film ***The Graduate*** is central to its themes of alienation, the generational divide, and the "quarter-life crisis." It refers to the protagonist, **Benjamin Braddock** (Dustin Hoffman), who has just finished his studies at a prestigious East Coast college. ### 1. Significance of the Title in Relation to the Plot The title highlights Benjamin’s **liminal status**: he is no longer a student, but he is not yet an integrated adult member of society. This "in-between" state is the engine of the plot: * **Alienation and Uncertainty:** Having achieved the academic goals set for him by his parents, Benjamin finds himself "adrift" and "worried" about his future. The title underscores his lack of identity outside of his academic success; without a degree to work toward, he has no direction. * **The Generation Gap:** To Benjamin’s parents and their friends, "The Graduate" is a trophy—a symbol of their own success and social standing. This is why they throw him a homecoming party populated by *their* friends rather than his. The title ironically contrasts his internal emptiness with the external "success" the label implies. * **Rejection of "Plastics":** The title frames his resistance to the career advice he receives (the famous "plastics" scene). As "the graduate," he is expected to enter the corporate, materialistic world of his parents, but he spends the summer floating in a pool, literally and figuratively "suspended" in life. ### 2. Direct References by Characters While the word "graduate" is the title of the film, characters rarely use it as a formal label or noun to address Benjamin. However, they reference his status and the act of graduating frequently: * **Benjamin Braddock:** He makes the most direct thematic reference to the title during his date with Elaine Robinson. He says: > *"I’ve had this feeling **ever since I’ve graduated**, this kind of compulsion that I have to be rude all the time, you know what I mean? It’s like I’ve been playing some kind of game but the rules don’t make any sense to me."* This line is the closest the film comes to explicitly explaining the psychological weight of being "the graduate." * **Mr. Braddock (Benjamin's Father):** He refers to Benjamin’s car as his **"graduation present"** and repeatedly references the **"graduation party"** and his son's status as an **"award-winning scholar"** and **"track star."** * **The Guests:** At the party, guests pester him with questions about what he is going to do now that he has **"finished college."** Though they don't call him "The Graduate" to his face, the entire opening sequence is a celebration of that specific title. * **The Script's Original Opening:** In the original screenplay by Buck Henry (and the novella by Charles Webb), the story was intended to open with Benjamin delivering a commencement speech to his **"fellow graduates."** Director Mike Nichols chose to cut this, opting instead for the iconic, silent opening of Benjamin on an airport walkway, which more effectively communicated his sense of being a passive passenger in his own life. ### Summary of Labels Interestingly, characters tend to use other labels to define him rather than the title itself: * **Mr. Robinson** and the hotel clerk call him **"Mr. Gladstone"** (his alias). * **Mrs. Robinson** calls him **"Benjamin"** or **"Ben."** * Family friends call him **"the track star"** or **"the scholar."** By keeping the title "The Graduate" as a label *outside* the dialogue, the film emphasizes that it is a social role being forced upon him, rather than an identity he has chosen for himself.