Original artwork, not a still
Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?
— The Graduate · 1967
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Benjamin is a 21-year-old who has been told what to do his whole life, and his stammering realisation is the moment he discovers he has a choice. The line is funny because Mrs. Robinson is the most in-control person in the film while he cannot finish the question politely. It has been parodied by Roseanne and The Simpsons, and her name is shorthand for an older seductress.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The GraduateShow the scene
In The Graduate (1967), Benjamin Braddock comes home to Pasadena after college and, at his graduation party, is asked by Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's law partner, to drive her home. At her house she pours him a drink, puts on music and tells him her husband won't be home for hours. Benjamin finally works out what she wants and says the line. She laughs, answers that she hadn't thought of it and that she is flattered, and he apologises. That summer he takes her to the Taft Hotel, and the affair begins.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: The GraduatePlot; Reception (AFI)Reference checked
- Wikiquote: The GraduateDialogue in the Robinson houseReference checked
Context reviewed
