How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Graduate.
Quote #1
BENJAMIN: Well you loved him once, I assume. When you first knew him.
MRS. ROBINSON: No.
BENJAMIN: What?
MRS. ROBINSON: I never did, Benjamin. Now let's—
BENJAMIN: Well, wait a minute. You married him…why did you do that?
MRS. ROBINSON: See if you can guess.
We get to see that Mrs. Robinson is more than just some wacky cougar who likes to seduce younger men. She has sadder and more serious reasons for doing what she's doing: she married someone she didn't love because of an unplanned pregnancy. What's striking about this scene is that Benjamin, coming of age during the sexual revolution, doesn't immediately catch her drift. When he finally does, he doesn't see the tragic element of it; he thinks it's cool that Elaine "got started" in the back of a Ford.
Quote #2
MRS. BRADDOCK: Well when did you two talk this over?
BENJAMIN: We haven't.
MRS. BRADDOCK: You haven't?
MR. BRADDOCK: Ben, this whole idea sounds pretty half-baked.
BENJAMIN: No, it's not. It's completely baked.
Is this any more of a promising start to a marriage than getting a girl pregnant and "having to" get married?
Quote #3
MRS. BRADDOCK: But what makes you think she wants to marry you?
BENJAMIN: She doesn't. To be perfectly honest, she doesn't like me.
Elaine probably does like Ben's personality (at least, after he stopped acting like a jerk during the strip club scene). She only dislikes him because—you know—he had an affair with her mother (and is indirectly responsible for instigating her parents' divorce). Benjamin, who's all about honesty and real connection, is taking this step totally unilaterally. He's starting to look a little off his rocker.