Separates
Ben the main character in The Graduate would be considered a separate according to Fitzpatrick’s couple types. Throughout this film there are a lot of different conflicts going on. Some are dealt with, but most are avoided. Ben has different relationships with his parents, Mrs. Robinson, and Elaine Robinson. The main conflict in the film is the affair between Ben and Mrs. Robinson. Ben experiences separateness with Mrs. Robinson because their relationship is only the affair. There is no sharing in the affair. The affair is kept a secret from Mr. Robinson and creates distance between Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. This conflict is avoided until the end of the film. The affair also creates conflict with Ben because he questions how he was raised. He never resolves this conflict and feels wrong about the affair. Ben and Mrs. Robinson have a fairly regular schedule and always meet in the same hotel. Conflict starts to arise when Ben’s parents want him to go on a date with Elaine Robinson. Mrs. Robinson does not want Ben to go on a date with her and tells him she will tell Elaine about them. At this point the affair begins to affects all of the relationships Ben has. Ben’s parents do end up forcing Ben to go on a date with Elaine. Mrs. Robinson is very upset and again threatens to tell Elaine about the affair At this point Ben falls in love with Elaine and before Mrs. Robinson can tell Elaine, Ben tells her himself about the affair. Elaine then cuts off all contact with Ben. This creates space between Elaine and Ben. This also destroys Ben and he does not know what to do with himself until he tells his parents he is going to marry Elaine. During the film Ben is mainly separate from his parents and does not want to be involved in what they do. So when Ben announces he wants to marry Elaine it is a complete shock to them. He then makes a plan to convince Elaine to marry him. The first thing he does is move to where she goes to school. When he gets there Ben starts to stalk Elaine and after a while he makes her aware of his presence. They start to casually date, but they do not see much of each other. At this point all contact with Mrs. Robinson and Ben is cut off. Finally, when Elaine agrees to marry Ben, Mr. Robinson shows up in Ben’s apartment and tells Ben he knows about the affair and that his wife and he are getting a divorce. He also commands Ben never to see Elaine again. Soon after the talk with Ben, Mr. Robinson forces Elaine to marry a boy from school. At the end of the film Ben arrives at the end of the ceremony, but the entrance is blocked so he starts to scream Elaine. This is also another time where Elaine and Ben experience separation. When Elaine hear Ben screaming her name she see him and they end running away together. They do not experience much togetherness until the end of the film when they do run away together. The Graduate reflects many characteristics of Fitzpatrick’s separate couple type.