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Analysis Of The Sound Of Silence

Decent Essays

Since its release on December 22nd of 1967, the Graduate has become an iconic piece of cinematic art. Like most art, the Graduate has the curse of being easily misunderstood, and is much deeper than one would recognize at first glance. With a haunting soundtrack from Simon & Garfunkel, including the well-known song “The Sound of Silence,” the tone of the movie is extremely melancholy and saturated with the uncertainty and sadness of someone who is unsure of what their future holds.
Ben, the main character, has recently graduated and is facing the great unknown of life after college. Ben is an extremely relatable character, especially to people with introverted tendencies, right off the bat. His avoidance of extravagant parties and attention is comical, at least to me, because of how true it is in my own life. He has an endearing awkwardness to him, but it can also feel quite uncomfortable to watch him struggle through social interaction if one suffers from secondhand embarrassment. The crippling uncertainty about what he wants to do with his life causes Ben to spend his summer laying in the pool, drinking heavily, and engaging in an affair with the wife of his father’s business partner Mrs. Robinson.
Ben’s affair sends him into an intense bout of alienation, making him easily irritable and distant from his parents. When he does interact with them, he faces their poking and prodding to figure out if he is going to continue his education by enrolling in graduate school. With

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