College students who have graduated over the past few years have had a rough time of it. With huge student loans to pay back, few job prospects, and many forced to move back in with their parents, adulthood just isn’t the same as it used to be. Many may feel depressed, frustrated, or just plain let down by the current state of things.
While millennials entering the job market today may be having a tough time, they’re hardly the first batch of disenchanted grads to find the real world a harsher or more complicated place to navigate than they expected. Movies and books are filled with examples of young grads who found that growing up, getting a job, and figuring out just what they want to do with their lives isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. Here are some of Hollywood’s and literature’s most famous disenchanted grads, many of whom modern day students will find incredibly relatable to their own feelings and experiences.
Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate:
Dustin Hoffman takes on one of the most iconic film roles in history in this classic film from 1967 (though it was based on a 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb). He plays Benjamin Braddock, a recent grad who has returned home to live with his parents and has no well-defined aim or goals in life. Bored and looking for direction, he starts an affair with a much older woman who stresses the importance of relishing his youth while he still can, perhaps because she never got the chance to enjoy her own. While Ben is content to while away his summer poolside, his parents begin to put pressure on him to get a job or enroll in grad school (something all grads can probably relate to), setting him on an ill-fated date with the daughter of the woman he’s been having an affair with. Yet this date leads rather unexpectedly to love, and Ben’s life changes rapidly as he pursues the young woman against all odds. Whether you read the book or see the movie, it’s a must for new grads struggling to find direction.
Lelaina in Reality Bites:
While Reality Bites might have been about the struggles of Gen Xers coming of age, many of the issues they face still plague young grads today. Winona Ryder plays Lelaina, an aspiring videographer who is working on a documentary about the lives of her friends and roommates called — what else? — Reality Bites. Lelaina was valedictorian of her university and, despite a standout record and high aspirations, is only able to find a job in film working as a production assistant to a rather unpleasant TV host. She struggles to see her artistic vision through, find lasting romance, and help her friends navigate some pretty serious issues (AIDS tests, coming out to parents, dealing with death), finding that growing up isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
Kirby Keager in St. Elmo’s Fire:
Younger grads may never have seen this classic ’80s film starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham, but while it may be older than many grads, it still captures the frustrations and confusion that often come with post-university life. The movie follows a group of friends who have just graduated from Georgetown University, including Kirby Keager, who is played by Emilio Estevez. Keager wants to become a lawyer, but he can’t afford tuition, so he works at a local bar in order to pay for classes (though with today’s tuition prices, that’d be a whole heck of a lot of cocktail slinging). His other friends are struggling with post-grad life as well, figuring out political allegiances, navigating romances, focusing on careers, and facing the realities and responsibilities that come with adult life — some of which are less than fun.
Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild:
While most college grads won’t take off into the wilderness after graduation like this student did, many may suffer from the same doubts about what really means something in life. After graduating from Emory at the top of his class, McCandless became increasingly disdainful of the empty materialism he felt permeated society after reading works by Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London during his studies. Instead of heading to law school, he gave away the money he had set aside for school to charity and starting traveling the country. Eventually, he ended up in Alaska where he sequestered himself in the wilderness — a choice that would ultimately lead to his death. While many grads may feel the disenchantment with society that McCandless did, his story is an important reminder that going to extremes isn’t the answer.
Marnie in Funny ha ha:
Most students likely haven’t seen this small, independent film which many say spurred on the mulblecore genre and was highly critically acclaimed. While it might be a super small-budget film, it is still worth a watch for grads looking to find a relatable character. The story follows recent grad Marnie as she struggles to find a temporary job and win the affections of one of her clearly unavailable college friends. Marnie often finds it hard to transition between the carefree, often beer-filled, lifestyle of college and the responsibilities of impending adulthood. The movie has been praised for its realistic look at post-college life, and many will find Marnie’s struggles quite similar to their own.
Grover in Kicking and Screaming:
Don’t get too excited, this isn’t the film of the same name starring Will Ferrell. The original film under this title came out in 1995 and centers on a group of graduates who refuse to grow up and move on with their lives after college. Grover, declining to share a life in Prague with his girlfriend, instead moves in with several friends who are still stuck in the same lives they had when they were in college. Grover and his new roomies are too afraid of change to make any big decisions about their lives, careers, and futures to let them move on, but are all terrified of ending up like the campuses’ professional student, who has been attending classes for the past ten years. The movie addresses many of the fears young grads have about growing up, moving on, and entering the sometimes scary adult world.
Ernesto Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries:
Let’s face it: most grads aren’t going to help lead a revolution and have their faces plastered all over the walls of future college students’ dorm rooms. Yet many may feel the discontent and drive to explore the world that pulls Ernesto Guevara, better known as Che, away from pursuing medical school and into a months-long trek across South America on a motorcycle with his best friend. While he eventually returned to finish his studies, his trip would change how he looked at life and understood many of the injustices in the world, helping him to understand just how privileged he truly was. Many college grads frustrated by their lives could learn a lot from travel (and the lessons of this movie and book, regardless of political orientation) and will undoubtedly be able to relate to Che’s desire to see the world he knew only from books.
Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby:
If there was ever a novel about disenchantment and unhappiness (with just about everything), this would be it. Set in the years following World War I, the novel is narrated by young Nick Carraway, a recent Yale grad and soldier during the war. He has just returned home and is setting out to start a career, moving to New York in order to learn more about the bond business. Renting a house on Long Island over the summer, Nick begins socializing with his cousin, former Yale classmates, and their friends, including the famous Gatsby. Drawn into their dark, unhappy circle, Nick is at once drawn to their fast-paced, hedonistic lifestyle and repulsed by the grotesqueness of it all. Like many young people, he is confused about where he wants to go in life; that is, until a series of murders show him the moral emptiness of the lives lived by those he has surrounded himself with, prompting him to return home to Minnesota. Like many just starting out, Nick is unsure of who he is and what defines him, and while none would wish to experience the horrific events in the novel, they do help give him guidance and assurance about who he really is — something with which many struggle.
Gogol Ganguli in The Namesake:
Both a book and a movie, this tale by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri follows Gogol Ganguli, the son of two immigrant parents, as he grows into a young man. Named after his father’s favorite author, Nikolai Gogol, he spends his youth trying to escape his name and his family’s culture, feeling closer to the nation of his birth. Headed off to college, he changes his name, goes home infrequently, and strives to be more typically American, rebelling against the values and expectations of his parents, something many young adults can acutely relate to. After graduation, he drifts further from his parents, but when his father unexpectedly passes away, Gogol finally begins to understand the value of family and can accept his roots and who he really is, even his incredibly unusual name. While not all of us struggle with the same cultural issues as Gogol, the frustrations, alienation, and struggles he encounters as he tries to grow up are something almost all grads will find relatable.
Madeline Hanna in The Marriage Plot:
This new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides follows three college friends through their senior year of college and into their first year post-graduation, though focusing on the central character of Madeline Hanna. Madeline graduates from Brown in the early 1980s at a time when the country was suffering though a deep economic recession — something just about every current grad has experienced lately. She and her friends take divergent paths as they enter the real world, facing new experiences and challenges that force them to often reevaluate what they learned in school and their own world views. And isn’t that what growing up, however disenchanted you may be, is all about?
Contacts and sources:
Jasmine Hall
While millennials entering the job market today may be having a tough time, they’re hardly the first batch of disenchanted grads to find the real world a harsher or more complicated place to navigate than they expected. Movies and books are filled with examples of young grads who found that growing up, getting a job, and figuring out just what they want to do with their lives isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. Here are some of Hollywood’s and literature’s most famous disenchanted grads, many of whom modern day students will find incredibly relatable to their own feelings and experiences.
Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate:
Dustin Hoffman takes on one of the most iconic film roles in history in this classic film from 1967 (though it was based on a 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb). He plays Benjamin Braddock, a recent grad who has returned home to live with his parents and has no well-defined aim or goals in life. Bored and looking for direction, he starts an affair with a much older woman who stresses the importance of relishing his youth while he still can, perhaps because she never got the chance to enjoy her own. While Ben is content to while away his summer poolside, his parents begin to put pressure on him to get a job or enroll in grad school (something all grads can probably relate to), setting him on an ill-fated date with the daughter of the woman he’s been having an affair with. Yet this date leads rather unexpectedly to love, and Ben’s life changes rapidly as he pursues the young woman against all odds. Whether you read the book or see the movie, it’s a must for new grads struggling to find direction.
Lelaina in Reality Bites:
While Reality Bites might have been about the struggles of Gen Xers coming of age, many of the issues they face still plague young grads today. Winona Ryder plays Lelaina, an aspiring videographer who is working on a documentary about the lives of her friends and roommates called — what else? — Reality Bites. Lelaina was valedictorian of her university and, despite a standout record and high aspirations, is only able to find a job in film working as a production assistant to a rather unpleasant TV host. She struggles to see her artistic vision through, find lasting romance, and help her friends navigate some pretty serious issues (AIDS tests, coming out to parents, dealing with death), finding that growing up isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
Kirby Keager in St. Elmo’s Fire:
Younger grads may never have seen this classic ’80s film starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham, but while it may be older than many grads, it still captures the frustrations and confusion that often come with post-university life. The movie follows a group of friends who have just graduated from Georgetown University, including Kirby Keager, who is played by Emilio Estevez. Keager wants to become a lawyer, but he can’t afford tuition, so he works at a local bar in order to pay for classes (though with today’s tuition prices, that’d be a whole heck of a lot of cocktail slinging). His other friends are struggling with post-grad life as well, figuring out political allegiances, navigating romances, focusing on careers, and facing the realities and responsibilities that come with adult life — some of which are less than fun.
Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild:
While most college grads won’t take off into the wilderness after graduation like this student did, many may suffer from the same doubts about what really means something in life. After graduating from Emory at the top of his class, McCandless became increasingly disdainful of the empty materialism he felt permeated society after reading works by Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London during his studies. Instead of heading to law school, he gave away the money he had set aside for school to charity and starting traveling the country. Eventually, he ended up in Alaska where he sequestered himself in the wilderness — a choice that would ultimately lead to his death. While many grads may feel the disenchantment with society that McCandless did, his story is an important reminder that going to extremes isn’t the answer.
Marnie in Funny ha ha:
Most students likely haven’t seen this small, independent film which many say spurred on the mulblecore genre and was highly critically acclaimed. While it might be a super small-budget film, it is still worth a watch for grads looking to find a relatable character. The story follows recent grad Marnie as she struggles to find a temporary job and win the affections of one of her clearly unavailable college friends. Marnie often finds it hard to transition between the carefree, often beer-filled, lifestyle of college and the responsibilities of impending adulthood. The movie has been praised for its realistic look at post-college life, and many will find Marnie’s struggles quite similar to their own.
Grover in Kicking and Screaming:
Don’t get too excited, this isn’t the film of the same name starring Will Ferrell. The original film under this title came out in 1995 and centers on a group of graduates who refuse to grow up and move on with their lives after college. Grover, declining to share a life in Prague with his girlfriend, instead moves in with several friends who are still stuck in the same lives they had when they were in college. Grover and his new roomies are too afraid of change to make any big decisions about their lives, careers, and futures to let them move on, but are all terrified of ending up like the campuses’ professional student, who has been attending classes for the past ten years. The movie addresses many of the fears young grads have about growing up, moving on, and entering the sometimes scary adult world.
Ernesto Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries:
Let’s face it: most grads aren’t going to help lead a revolution and have their faces plastered all over the walls of future college students’ dorm rooms. Yet many may feel the discontent and drive to explore the world that pulls Ernesto Guevara, better known as Che, away from pursuing medical school and into a months-long trek across South America on a motorcycle with his best friend. While he eventually returned to finish his studies, his trip would change how he looked at life and understood many of the injustices in the world, helping him to understand just how privileged he truly was. Many college grads frustrated by their lives could learn a lot from travel (and the lessons of this movie and book, regardless of political orientation) and will undoubtedly be able to relate to Che’s desire to see the world he knew only from books.
Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby:
If there was ever a novel about disenchantment and unhappiness (with just about everything), this would be it. Set in the years following World War I, the novel is narrated by young Nick Carraway, a recent Yale grad and soldier during the war. He has just returned home and is setting out to start a career, moving to New York in order to learn more about the bond business. Renting a house on Long Island over the summer, Nick begins socializing with his cousin, former Yale classmates, and their friends, including the famous Gatsby. Drawn into their dark, unhappy circle, Nick is at once drawn to their fast-paced, hedonistic lifestyle and repulsed by the grotesqueness of it all. Like many young people, he is confused about where he wants to go in life; that is, until a series of murders show him the moral emptiness of the lives lived by those he has surrounded himself with, prompting him to return home to Minnesota. Like many just starting out, Nick is unsure of who he is and what defines him, and while none would wish to experience the horrific events in the novel, they do help give him guidance and assurance about who he really is — something with which many struggle.
Gogol Ganguli in The Namesake:
Both a book and a movie, this tale by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri follows Gogol Ganguli, the son of two immigrant parents, as he grows into a young man. Named after his father’s favorite author, Nikolai Gogol, he spends his youth trying to escape his name and his family’s culture, feeling closer to the nation of his birth. Headed off to college, he changes his name, goes home infrequently, and strives to be more typically American, rebelling against the values and expectations of his parents, something many young adults can acutely relate to. After graduation, he drifts further from his parents, but when his father unexpectedly passes away, Gogol finally begins to understand the value of family and can accept his roots and who he really is, even his incredibly unusual name. While not all of us struggle with the same cultural issues as Gogol, the frustrations, alienation, and struggles he encounters as he tries to grow up are something almost all grads will find relatable.
Madeline Hanna in The Marriage Plot:
This new book from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides follows three college friends through their senior year of college and into their first year post-graduation, though focusing on the central character of Madeline Hanna. Madeline graduates from Brown in the early 1980s at a time when the country was suffering though a deep economic recession — something just about every current grad has experienced lately. She and her friends take divergent paths as they enter the real world, facing new experiences and challenges that force them to often reevaluate what they learned in school and their own world views. And isn’t that what growing up, however disenchanted you may be, is all about?
Contacts and sources:
Jasmine Hall
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