Rebellions In Mike Nichol's Film The Graduate

A world without rebels would be a world with no change. If specific groups didn’t escape the status quo, life would essentially go on as if it were put on repeat. Nothing would ever change, and nothing new would ever be accomplished. And most importantly, there would be no distinguishing factors between any two generations. Generations are shaped by the exclusive social changes that transpire over a given time period. Each generation desperately wants to set themselves apart by challenging the values and morals of the ones who came before them. They rebel against everything they were once taught in order to be independent and live a happy life. These rebellions have shaped American society for decades. Mike Nichol’s film, The Graduate,
They were constantly telling him what to do and when to do it. However, Benjamin continued to ignore their constant demands and did the exact opposite of what he was told. He rebelled because he wanted to make himself happy before pleasing his parents. He was not ready to start a career or further his education; all he wanted to do was relax by his parent’s pool and not worry about his future just yet. The scene at his 21st birthday party finally allowed him to tune out the sound of his parents. He was given a scuba suit and was forced to test it out in front of everyone who was at his party. After he was forced into the pool, he found himself standing still at the bottom. He was finally alone and was not able to hear any of the noise coming from above the water. The camera angle shifted and was now from the perspective of Benjamin. It showed him looking up out of the water at his parents shouting at him, but he was not able to comprehend any of the words being yelled at him. This was just the start of his rebellion against his parents. The fact that he was underwater symbolized that Benjamin felt like his parents were drowning him in all of their expectations. He was suffocating and was finally able to be at peace at the bottom of the pool. The majority of the youth at this time was searching for peace, and the only way of obtaining it was to rebel against the conformity of their parents. They all felt like they were being drowned; therefore they continued to rebel in ways that disgusted their parents and even disgraced