Shawshank Redemption Hope Essay

Hope is something that was similar between the characters in chapter six of Stevenson’s book and Andy Dufresne in the film. A quote that involved hope that was very important to myself was when Mrs.Jennings said “...But if we don’t expect more from each other, hope better for one another, and recover from the hurt we experience, we are surely doomed (Stevenson 126).” One can see how in the young boy Charlie’s situation hope had to be present whether some say it was before or after Mr. Stevenson visited the boy in the county jail. Charlie was going to be tried as an adult for murdering his mother’s boyfriend George after George had previously severely abused his mother. Related back to the quote from Mrs.Jennings, she talks about how if people don’t hope better for one another then they are surely doomed. Mr.Stevenson was not going to take Charlie’s case until he had knew that he had been sexually assaulted the nights before. Stevenson left the jail angry about what had happened and who allowed this act to take place. I believe that both Charlie and Mr.Stevenson both had to hope for the best and Ms.Jennings hoped for something better in Charlie’s life. Hope is also something that Andy Dufresne also had during his time at Shawshank prison. An example of Andy’s hope in Shawshank Redemption is when he played the woman’s music over the intercom. All of the men felt free and felt hope just as Andy had when they listened to the woman’s beautiful voice. In the film, Red makes a comment saying “It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.” This quote signifies hope because for that brief moment they felt something they they hadn’t felt in so many years after being locked away. The feeling was like an awakening of hope

In the novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the reader follows the life of Andy Dufresne, who was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and a golf pro. Author Stephen King, who is known for his simpler, conversation esque writing, describes Andy’s experiences and attempt to escape from Shawshank Prison where he is being held. Red, Andy’s most valuable friend while in prison, is also in prison for killing his wife, but in contrast to Andy, he actually did it. Andy is constantly denied his freedom for parole or when evidence arises proving his innocence because of his role running the illegal money laundering scheme for Warden Norton. Throughout the novella, both characters display moments of similar, but also at times vastly different, levels of hope. King uses the way characters, such as Red and Andy, view hope as either a means of escape or simply futile in the novella to show how the circumstances surrounding a tragedy or difficult situation change a character’s mindset on hope and in turn dictates the actions they use to cope.

The theme of hope is both displayed in the book and film when Red talks about Andy’s demeanor while in prison. Red states how prison has not changed Andy and how he wears his freedom “like an invisible coat”......“He never developed the walk that men get when their day is over and they are going back to their cells for another endless night,” (King 72). This “invisible coat” is hope. It has helped Andy live on as a free man in his spirit. During his time spent at Shawshank, Andy voluntarily completed many tasks. He took over

Red is very reluctant to accept hope, even stating in the film ‘Hope is a dangerous thing; hope can drive a man insane’ and this is expressed through shadows cast on him whilst Andy is shown in the light. This idea of hopelessness exaggerates the redemption of hope expressed later on in the film, an example of this is right at the very start of the film when the man is beaten so badly by the prison guards that he dies, Andy’s asks a key question that nobody can answer; ‘What was his name?’. This hopelessness is then contrasted when the friendships are formed later on in the film, when everybody becomes close, which is confirmed when Andy bargains with the guards and consequently wins three bottles of beer for each of his work mates. Andy’s friends and he are regularly shown laughing together or helping one another to cope, Darabont successfully reflects hope into the eyes of the viewer through these friendships. Gestures such as the harmonica illuminate this point when Red begins to create music.

Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, conveys many messages of hope and redemption especially during the times where he applies for parole. This is evident as Red is knocked back for parole twice during the movie, but is accepted in the last scenes of the movie. “I wish I could go back and talk to the boy I was when I committed the crime, but he’s not there anymore, all thats left is an old man... Rehabilitated, is just a bullshit word.” This quote shows that Red knows that being in rehabilitated in jail doesn’t mean anything to him, as it won’t undo the crimes he’s committed, but there is still that little bit of hope, that if he is accepted he can try and make better what little life he has left.

Shawshank Redemption is the story of a friendship unfolding over thirty years. It is the story of the value and potential of a person, and how anyone can find the courage to keep fighting during hard times. One of the main characters, Andy Dufresne faces insurmountable odds, while still holding onto hope. Red is the narrator of the story and Andy’s closest friend. By following their stories, we can examine their lives inside the criminal justice system. To see how society and its elite players treat the people labeled as criminals, and how those elite men become criminals themselves.

A language feature used in The Shawshank Redemption to show hope is dialogue. In particular there is Reds voice-over narration, which shows how Reds opinion of hope changes throughout the movie. Andy is a symbol of hope in Shawshank, and it is not only Andy’s hope that grows but he also affects the inmate around him. When Andy first tells Red of his dream to go to Mexico, Red says; “Hope is a dangerous thing. It will drive a man insane, it has no place here. This shows how Red thought that hope was pointless and futile. This also shows how the prison could take away a man’s hope; even turn him bitterly against the idea of it. It is only when Andy eventually makes his escape that the inmates realise how truly powerful hope is. When Red is released from prison and make his way to Mexico, he says; “I hope the Pacific is as blue as it is in my dreams. I hope.” This use of repetition shows the attitude

The Shawshank Redemption movie is about a man named Andy Dufresne who was falsely accused of murder and was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. Being in jail, Andy faced many problems of being abused, but he also gained a strong friendship with a man named Red. Many of the things that the prisoners had to face showed a sociological perspective on how life was in jail and how it affected the prisoners. In Shawshank prison, the functionalism theory, the conflict perspective, and the control theory shows the life and adjustments a prisoner has to make in order to survive going into a new world.

Hope in The Shawshank Redemption helps to keep Andy alive and allows Andy to anticipate the next sunrise with happiness rather than sorrow. Hope is created by Andy and his knowledge of his awful situation. Hope allows Andy to think of a time where everything will be better, even if it seems that Andy is stuck in a never-ending hell. The opening of The Shawshank Redemption introduces the audience to the main character, Andy Dufresne. He has just been accused and convicted of the death of his ex-wife, and her lover. This opening seeks to arouse curiosity by bringing the audience into a series of actions that have already started thus creating slight confusion for the audience (Bordwell and Thompson 85).

The movie, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), is based on a character Andy Dufresne. Andy is a young and successful banker who is sent to Shawshank Prison for murdering his wife and her secret lover. His life is changed drastically upon being convicted and being sent to prison. He is sent to prison to serve a life term. Over the 20-years in prison, Andy retains optimism and eventually earns the respect of his fellow inmates. He becomes friends with Red, and they both comfort and empathize with each other while in prison. The story has a strong message of hope, spirit, determination, courage, and desire.

A man by the name of Andy Dufresne was convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in Shawshank prison. He was an obvious black sheep among the prisoners, but as time went on he grew relationships with the crooks and realized the injustice in the justice system. In the creation of friendship between Red and Andy, hope was spread throughout the prison. While many themes are present in the film The Shawshank Redemption, hope, friendship, and injustice are also relevant in the world today.

In Frank Darabont’s film Shawshank Redemption, the themes of isolation and hope are used to underscore the effects of imprisonment. However, the main characters Andy and Red perceive prison life and freedom very differently. First off, one of the key reasons Andy survived in prison is due to the hope he held. On the other hand, Red lost all hope of getting out of prison. Furthermore, life for both characters became quite different once they are released from prison.

Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont and published in 1994 centres around a man by the name of Andy Dufresne who is sentenced to two consecutive life sentence for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy serves his time in Shawshank Prison where he struggles to persevere and maintain hope even under appalling conditions. Hope and perseverance are some of the most important themes in the film and are central to the storyline. These themes are portrayed through the use of a variety of film techniques such as the lighting, the music and the colour scheme.

In the film, “The Shawshank Redemption” directed by Frank Darabont, symbolism was used to highlight the main idea of holding onto hope. Darabont has effectively used different symbols throughout the film to convey the themes of hope and freedom in Shawshank. “Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” This quote said by Andy Dufresne in a letter to Red shows that Shawshank was portrayed as a place of hopelessness at the start. But it was through the use of these symbols, music, the library, and the birds, that made the viewer truly understand how “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

His skills helped him gain the trust and popularity from both Mr. Warden and his inmates. He is calm and cool in behavior that made him likable. He is loyal as he made sure he kept the promise he made to his friend Red. Andy has high external as he is educated and had a high position in a bank. On the other hand, Red has been in prison for his entire adult life which resulted in a change of personal system. He doesn’t think of life after prison. He has been “institutionalized “. He has become dependent on the required system that he doesn’t think he can survive after prison. The word institutionalized as described by Red is the process by which prisoners first hate the prison then gets used to it that finally, even their lives depend on it. (Movie). Red is also the guy that can get you anything. He sells “cigarettes, a bag of resources and a bottle of brandy” which resulted in high power and respect from his inmates. He values the life he has in prison than anything else. I believe this is because it has been a long time since he was out to see the world. He has already adjusted his behavior and way of life in regards to the required system of the prison. The rest of the prisoner’s personal system lies between these two.