The Shawshank Redemption Essay

This paper discusses “The Shawshank Redemption,” a 1994 American movie written and directed by Frank Darabont, and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The movie was chosen because it tells that vision, strong values and obligation are key factors of personal and organizational success. The movie tells the story of Andy is a successful banker whose life changes radically when he is sentenced and punished to life custody for the murder of his wife and her lover. Indeed, The Shawshank Redemption inspects a chain of conflicts: guilt and innocence, cruelty and charity, freedom and imprisonment.

The plan that he brings together is a representation of Andy Dufresne's prudence and having such a virtue paid off for the protagonist of this story by the end. The start of this was as soon as Andy began talking to Red. When Andy realized the connections that Red had he asked him for rock pick because he was an amateur geologist before he was put into Shawshank. Andy claims for the longest time that he is just using the rock pick to shape the different rocks that he finds throughout his time at Shawshank prison. Meanwhile he is actually using the pick to escape from prison. He admittedly told Red that it would take 50 years to escape through Shawshank with the pick, so it really wasn't worth worrying about whether or not he would escape or not. This whole thing shows how prudent Andy really was. He never told anyone of his plan and just kept on going everyday. He covered everything up and disposed of all the extra stone and seemed to have every facet of his operation covered. Nobody ever saw it coming and that was on purpose.

Andy was assigned to the library, which built up to the largest events in his pursuit of hope. He was presented with the opportunity to help the guards with financial advising and filling out tax forms, which virtually removed Andy from the prison life and let him operate almost completely as if he were at his old job. His job allowed him gain the respect of the guards, which relieved some of the awfulness of prison life. Andy’s attempt to enlarge and develop the library was another distractions for him. His constant letter writing to request funds for expanding the library took some of Andy’s time and allowed him to focus his mind on things other than prison. After his years of requests were finally answered with books and eventually annual funds Andy and Red were presented with the full time job of maintaining the new, huge library. These new responsibilities were key in making their lives bearable and in lessening the difficulties of prison. The actual receiving of the books and funds also inspired the men and gave

Not only does Andy create disciples of the inmates, but he also creates followers from the antagonistic

This does not make a very good point. Clancy Brown played Byron Hadley, captain of the guard, who was a nasty and brutal man that had the position of the warden?s right hand man. A guy who gives beatings left and right each time showing the audience a little more about whom his character really is. There?s no way he would have done one extra thing than the minimum his deal with Andy required. This might be a small thing to point out, but it shows the director?s desire to smooth over and gloss up the story.

Despite barely having anything in common these two bright minds connected and became friends for decades. In prison it is important to have someone there. Red explains their relationship by saying "I never felt really close to Andy until 1960 or so, and I believe I was the only one who ever did get really close to him". For Andy it was important to his sanity to have a person like Red. Without Red, Andy might just have gone insane. Red helped give Andy hope.

“We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men. Hell, we could have been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the Lords of all Creation. As for Andy, he spent that break hunkered in the shade, a strange little smile on his face, watching us drink his beer...You could argue he'd done it to curry favor with the guards, or maybe make a few friends among us cons. Me, I think he did it just to feel normal again, if only for

During Andy and Red’s first encounter in the yard when Andy asks Red if he could possibly get him a rock hammer he says to Red “I have no enemies here” and Red replies “No?” with a smile, and said “Wait awhile” (King, 1982).   Since Andy is new to prison life, he does not understand that the second he walked into Shawshank prison he made enemies already, but Red understands that and sarcastically warns Andy about the possible threats are becoming more apparent.   A man like Red, a man who has many friends on the inside know that those friends and popularity will help keep him safe and alive.   While Andy is a man without friends and will eventually not be safe in Shawshank Prison anymore unless he begins to make friends and alliances.

In the film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ the director, Frank Darabont, uses many significant scenes throughout the film to present the idea, institutionalisation, to the audience. To do this, Darabont skilfully uses lighting, voice over, motif and foreshadowing to present the idea which helps to develop and further the idea of the text. One of the most important segments in ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ which uses a number of these techniques is Brooks release up until his suicide. There are two techniques which aid in showing the idea of the text during Brooks release, these are lighting and foreshadowing. Once brooks accepts that he can’t stay in the prison, inside the walls he now calls home, he unwillingly parts with Jake.

The Warden is a very corrupt person who uses the prisoners for financial gain we find out later. He takes bribes from people to curtail highway projects as an example. When it comes to fruition that Andy is innocent of what he was incarcerated for the Warden does not believe Andy and another prisoner Tommy Williams whom Andy befriends and helps him get his G.E.D. Tommy tells Red and Andy the story about a former inmate he was roomed with about how he killed this woman, Andy’s wife, and a pro-golfer, her lover. The Warden refutes Tommy’s story by just calling it a fabrication and not even looking into finding the prisoner, he goes as far as having Tommy killed to keep the story quiet. The reason behind this is Andy is the Warden’s personal bookkeeper, and Andy knows things that could cause the Warden to go to prison. This in turns drives Andy to be more determined to get out of Shawshank. After some time Andy escapes from Shawshank through a tunnel that he dug for almost 20 years. Upon making it to the city Andy shows up at a bank in a fresh suit and tie and withdraws most of the money that the Warden was hiding in a secret account. And when Andy leaves he asks for the bank to send out a package he has made that tells the secrets about the Warden and all the abuses that go on in Shawshank from the head officer of

Andy Dufresne was convicted of murdering his wife and the guy she was having an affair with. He arrived at Shawshank prison in Portland, Maine. When he first arrived, the other prisoners treated him like they would any other new prisoner. No one knew anything about him so they were a bit skeptical. There is a group of homosexuals who physically and sexually abuse Andy. He instantly becomes friends with Red and finds a companion. Red has connections with the outside worlds and has access to cigarettes, posters, and virtually anything the prisoners would want. Andy asks him for a rock hammer and he uses this to chisel a hole in the wall of his cell, which is hidden behind a poster.

“The Shawshank Redemption” movie demonstrates how cruel prison can be. It illustrates how life is unfair, and sometimes the criminal obtains freedom, and the upstanding citizen pays the price for the criminal’s deeds. Andy Dufresne exhibits that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. This movie is jammed packed with life lessons, but you will just have to view it for yourself.

Thus, they are eventually free from the prison and institutionalization or they are killed. Particularly, camera angle and lighting assist the audience to anticipate the outcome of a scene or character. Initially, Andy is perceived as unusual and vulnerable, however as his character is unveiled he is revealed to be self-sacrificing and an overall symbol of hope that constitutes self-worth amongst the prisoners. The passing of Brooks and Andy’s escape is foreshadowed during the release of Jake as one slips into darkness whereas the other proceeds to brightly lit freedom. Darabont has judiciously demonstrated the mental battle between fear and hope through the use of film techniques. He exhibits through the central character, Andy, how one person can highly impact others to the extent of overcoming desolation and acquiring a drive to

By 1965, Tommy befriends Red and Andy. He asks Andy in gaining his GED but felt he let Andy down after not feeling confident he 'll pass the test. After Tommy revealing one of his former cell mate in another prison as the actual murderer of Andy 's wife and her lover, He asks for the warden 's help. Instead, Warden Norton had Andy in two month solitary confinement and Tommy killed in fear that the prison financial corruption will come to light. After Andy was release from solitary confinement, his decision to escape from prison finally came. It turns out he used his rock hammer to tunnel his way out of his cell

Despite these hardships, however, Andy never complains or loses his confidence. Soon after arriving at Shawshank, Andy approaches Red and asks him to procure a rock hammer because he’s interested in rock collecting and carving. After a while, he also pays Red to smuggle in some polishing cloths. After a few years, Red and Andy both find themselves on a work crew, tarring the roof of the prison’s license plate factory. Andy overhears a prison guard complaining to the other guards about the taxes he’ll have to pay on the $35,000 he just inherited from his long-lost brother. Andy offers some financial advice by telling him to give the money to his wife as a one-time tax-free gift. Andy even offers to fill out the paperwork for the guard in exchange for giving three beers to each prisoner on the work crew. Andy becomes a valuable financial resource to