The protagonist, Benjamin Braddock, is first seen getting off the plane coming home from college. He is well put together, and embodies the definition of a young man who knows his purpose in life. The director, Mike Nichols, decides to maintain a close up on Benjamin for the opening title sequence allowing the viewer to examine him more than they normally would if the shot was shorter in length. When this is done, the audience understands that Benjamin does not appear to be pleased at all, and is simply going through the motions in life. In addition, the idea of Benjamin passively going through life is symbolized by the moving sidewalk in the airport. Instead of breaking the norm and going a different path or speed Benjamin steps onto the sidewalk and allows it to control his movement.