The Graduate

As we watched the film and discussed its soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel, the song "The Sound of Silence" stood out to me among the others. The reason for this lies in the first line, "hello darkness, my old friend." We hear it in the first scene of the movie as Benjamin stands on the moving walkway in the airport, completely emotionless. Because he seems so deep in thought during this scene and throughout the movie, I was wondering if he has a history of depression or sadness. He is unsatisfied with his life and unaware of his abilities to succeed in life. He spends a lot of time at home and doesn't have the motivation to do anything, which his parents point out multiple times. An observation I just made is that when he is in the pool or looking at/near water, he is reflecting on his life as he watches the water. This brings me to the next time the song begins to play, which is after he and Mrs. Robinson fornicate in the hotel, the first time. As the song plays, he transitions from the pool/his house back to the hotel scene, as if each door leads him back to the memory of the night before. He must feel guilty for what he has done, which is why the darkness is coming back to him. However, The last time the song is heard is at the very end of the movie, where Benjamin and Elaine have just escaped her wedding and gotten on a bus. They are smiling and exhilarated, and when the song begins, Benjamin is smiling, which is ironic considering the lyrics of the song. To me, this showed that he has overcome the darkness he once felt inside of him. He is finally doing something that makes him happy, which he has never had for his whole life.

Are there any other songs in the movie that are significant/show as much of what Benjamin is feeling as this one?