"This is Benjamin. He’s a little worried about his future."
The Graduate - Characters & Cast
Character Analysis
Benjamin Braddock
Dustin Hoffman
Motivation
To find authenticity and escape the "plastic," predetermined life mapped out by his parents and their affluent friends.
Character Arc
Benjamin begins as an anxious, passive young man paralyzed by societal expectations. He briefly finds an escape through a hollow affair, but eventually takes frantic, rebellious action to pursue Elaine, transitioning from extreme apathy to obsessive determination.
Mrs. Robinson
Anne Bancroft
Motivation
To alleviate the crushing boredom and emotional emptiness of her loveless marriage through a purely physical, transactional affair.
Character Arc
Introduced as a confident, predatory older woman, she is gradually revealed to be a deeply unhappy, trapped alcoholic who gave up her own dreams due to a pregnancy. Her arc ends in bitterness and vengeance when her daughter becomes involved with Benjamin.
Elaine Robinson
Katharine Ross
Motivation
To navigate the emotional wreckage caused by the adults in her life and find a genuine, uncorrupted connection.
Character Arc
Initially appearing as the dutiful, perfect daughter, Elaine's worldview is shattered by the revelation of her mother's affair. She ultimately breaks away from her mother's path of forced domesticity by running away with Benjamin.