Foil

Character Role Analysis

Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson

You can think of Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson as the young and older version of the same person. Benjamin is young, with his future ahead of him and the possibility of a genuine relationship still open. Mrs. Robinson is someone who was like Ben once; full of hopes and dreams, but the door has closed on her life. Benjamin still has the world available to him, and he has to figure out how to negotiate his way through it. It didn't work out for Mrs. Robinson, and she's bitter and cynical because of that. Her character makes us root for Ben even more, because he's at risk for winding up just like her if he doesn't figure it out.