In print | Published October 2, 2008

When I signed up to write this column about film this semester, I expected to devote most of my columns to reviewing specific movies. When I wrote my first column about “The Graduate,” I intended to raise valid questions about the merits of its status as Swarthmore’s unofficial movie, but I never for a second expected my column to occasion the kind of response that it did. Ever since I wrote it, people have been responding to me with their own opinions about the movie and about my critique, both supportive and critical of me, both casually and through columns and letters in The Phoenix. Perhaps I will go down in Swarthmore history as the annoying guy who made everyone question the value of a relatively insignificant movie. I suppose there are worse things to be known for and I am both pleased and humbled that anything I write is worthy of this kind of discussion. Nevertheless, I feel I must take this opportunity to respond to some of the criticisms leveled against my column, and lay out my vision of the role of popular culture criticism in a broader social context.

One of the most cogent criticisms made of my column on “The Graduate” is that I assumed that the film is unambiguously supportive of Benjamin Braddock’s actions, while he is actually portrayed as a frightened, unsure man on the verge of adulthood who is not yet ready to take full responsibility for his actions. That is all very true. But nevertheless, “The Graduate” still views the relationship between Benjamin and Elaine Robinson purely through Benjamin’s lens. We don’t get to see many of Elaine’s feelings about their interactions and thus the film denies her agency as a character. A more balanced take on their relationship would let us see both perspectives.

Yes, the final shot of the movie, where Elaine and Benjamin stare at each other nervously on the bus, unsure whether or not they have made the right decision, does suggest that maybe Benjamin has not behaved in the most appropriate manner. But if he has behaved inappropriately, it is primarily because he has not considered the implications of his actions for himself and his future. There is little indication that the film is critiquing him for inappropriately impinging upon Elaine’s wedding without her consent. It is certainly possible to speculate that Elaine may not want to be married at all, but we do not have any basis for making that claim, which is precisely the problem. “The Graduate” does not permit us to consider Elaine’s side of the story at all, which limits it to being a film about a privileged white male’s view on relationships.

And yes, I understand that I am writing this column as a privileged white male, which brings me to a larger point about popular culture criticism. Popular culture does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, it is a reflection or critique of the prevailing values of the society in which it emerges. Unfortunately, we live in a patriarchal, racist, heterosexist, economically divided society and the movies that our society makes reflect this reality, whether critically or uncritically. Popular culture, be it film, music, television, literature, or any other medium, privileges certain individuals and subgroups by offering them a voice. It can either offer this voice to those who already have power, or it can attempt to provide a medium for those who have been disenfranchised. “The Graduate” chooses to provide a voice to the sort of patrician white males who rarely have trouble having their views heard through more official channels, such as the political process. Just look at most members of Congress.

If I, as someone who belongs to many privileged subgroups within our society, were to simply watch movies and consume other forms of popular culture and not question the ways in which they fit into a larger social context, I would merely be acquiescing to the unequal and unjust state of society today. I wrote my column about “The Graduate” mainly because it concerned me that people were simply watching the movie the night before classes and accepting it as it is. If I got people to question the film’s conceptions of gender, then I accomplished my goal. I am certainly not saying that everyone or anyone has to come to the same conclusions that I did about the movie; I am not even sure if I did come to the proper conclusions. But thinking about the ways in which our culture supports or undercuts our assumptions is usually a worthwhile endeavor.

I like film; I wouldn’t write this column if I didn’t. But what I really like is questioning the ways in which our culture contributes to or struggles against our culture of oppression and in some small way, that’s what I hope to do.

Joel is a junior. You can reach him at jswanso1@swarthmore.edu.

« RETURN TO LIVING & ARTS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »