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Braddock's Identity In The Graduate

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Today movies are one of the prime sources of entertainment. Whether it’s spending time with a significant other, hanging out with friends, or anything else, movies are one of the most versatile forms of entertainment that can satisfy everyone’s unique preferences. Amongst movies, the most popular genres include comedy, action, dramas, and countless more. In 1957, Mike Nichols released The Graduate, a romantic comedy that would remain popular even fifty years after its release. Although the movie is renowned for its engaging plot and distinctive comedic elements, The Graduate tells a story about college graduate Benjamin Braddock’s affair with Mrs. Robinson, a close family friend and the prevalent theme of discovering one’s identity.

Popularly referred to as the movie that features the famed song “The Sound of Silence”, The Graduate set the precedent for comedy movies for decades to come. While conventional comedic elements usually involve satirical attributes and over exaggerated components, The Graduate uses Braddock’s social ineptitude and incapacity to establish meaningful connections as …show more content…

Whether we’re students, first-time parents, or working in a new place, our identity is a compilation of all the things we have experienced. In the world of The Graduate, Braddock develops a separate identity through platonic sex with Mrs. Robinson and a love interest in Elaine that differs from the disconsolate attributes that defined Braddock’s identity early in the film. Similarly, I was able to discover a part of myself that had never previously existed. Through consciously making an effort to put myself in a discomforting situation, I was able to mature and grow as an individual. I’ve learned that it’s not in moments of comfort that we develop but rather in moments where we face aspects of our life that are uncertain that we are able to adapt and discover parts of our

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