Love Interest

Character Role Analysis

Elaine Robinson

Benjamin never really loves Mrs. Robinson, at all (as far as the viewer can tell)—but he actually does fall in love with her daughter. He and Elaine connect over the fact that they're both young and that they can't really make sense of the world they're heading into. The first thing to give them a sense of purpose in life is their love for each other (at least, that's what Ben seems to think), but the Mrs. Robinson affair derails that. Ben's whole struggle for the rest of the movie is to try to get that relationship back on track.