True Redemption: The Shawshank Redemption Essay

In 1994, Frank Darabont’s film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ received a poor reception when released; it only made a $0.3m profit. More recently the film has become known as one of the greatest movies of all time, it has inspired hope in many people, helping them to lose weight, leave abusive marriages and such like. The film is based mainly upon two convicts, and the idea of hope. Andy Dufresne is a ‘Hot Shot Banker’ imprisoned with two life sentences, for the suspected murder of his wife and her lover and ‘Red’ (Morgan Freeman) whom Andy redeems hope in, along with the other convicts, saving them from institutionalisation.

The other theme of freedom comes in both the film and the story, when Andy Dufresne got beer for all of the crew that tarred the prison's roof. In this example, even Red stated that the break "lasted twenty minutes, the beer-break, and for those twenty minutes we felt like free men."(48) Red recalls that the crew felt such freedom that they "could have been drinking beer and tarring the roof of one of our own houses."(48) This example serves the purposes of both the story's writer and the filmmaker because it shows the reader and/or viewer that this event happened because Andy wanted himself and his 'co-workers' to feel freedom. This event occurred because he made business dealings with "the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at the Shawshank State Prison" (48). Andy was always known to have something different to him, "a sense of his own worth,

The movie the Shawshank Redemption, based on the book by Steven King, I believe is one of the best movies ever made. The portrayal of prison life in the movie is the best I have seen and a star-studded cast including Morgan Freeman supports the characters and brings to life the everyday struggles of life behind bars. In this paper I will relate topics from class to the movie and discuss information we have learned through out the semester.

Andy, who had the hope that he would escape, was able to adjust to life outside. He posed as Randall Stephens and used the laundered money to live his life. However for Red, life was not only difficult, but Red had become institutionalized like Brooks. For the past 40 years, Red had asked to use the bathroom, once he got out of prison those habits stuck with him. Red had difficulty leaving his prison life behind, versus Andy, who was able to live his life normally. Eventually, this lead to Red having thoughts of committing a crime to re-enter prison life. Red had never planned a life for when he got out of prison, because he never had the hope of getting out. Red struggled to find his place in society and felt he did not matter. This made life extremely difficult for Red and everyday felt like a burden. However, Red remembered the promise he made to Andy and decided to follow through on it. When Red crossed the border to meet up with his old friend Andy, he stated that he finally believed in hope. This shows how powerful hope can be and how it can change one’s perspective of

Directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption tells the Story of Andy Dufrane, a man who has been wrongly convicted of murder and must endure life inside the harsh and corrupt Shawshank prison, but despite this he never loses hope of finding freedom. Hope is an important inspiring idea in this film, as it is what sustains him during the long and difficult years within the prison, and it is the result of this enduring hope that Andy finally finds freedom. There are many visual and oral techniques used throughout the film to portray the idea of hope. This includes the hope that Andy holds, and

The movie, Shawshank Redemption, is about a story of two men, Andy Dufrane and Red Abbott, who spent most of their lives in a prison together going through the ups and downs of prison life. Andy, who was once a vice-president at a bank, was in prison for murdering his wife and her lover, when he caught them in bed together; he was giving life in prison. Whereas Red, also a convicted murderer, got life but with a chance of parole. The two grew close to each other because they were both very educated men and had the same interests. After five years of doing the laundry, the warden thought it would in the prisons best interest to use such an educated man as Andy in the library. So they transferred Andy from the laundry to

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.

Red gets stuff for Andy and looks after him. Red helped Andy cope with prison life and was a huge reason he made it through

Holding onto one’s humanity is a skill that takes constant practice and the conscious decision to do so. The protagonist of the film, Andy, is very different from the rest on his inmates at Shawshank in that he manages to hold onto his humanity throughout his time in prison despite many trying situations. This trait is first expressed when Andy asks if anyone knows the name of man who was beaten to death by the guards on his first night in prison. By simply having some human emotion Andy has proven that he is not willing to let prison change who he is as a human being. Again, Andy leaps out of his comfort zone during his confrontation with the guard on the roof. Perched on the edge of the roof, Andy spreads his wings and risks the fall in order to grant his inmates a taste of the outside world through the simple luxury of a few beers for his friends to enjoy. The great beauty of a man who not only has the courage to hold onto his own humanity but also has the boldness to help others do the same is what makes Andy such a captivating protagonist. His courage and determination are the only thing keeping him human and moreso, keeping him sane.

At the beginning of the Shawshank Redemption, Andy gets framed for the murder of his cheating wife. Which makes his life take a darker turn with him going to Shawshank prison. Shawshank prison is one of the worst prisons ever, the prison guards abuse the prisoners, and the warden orders them to do so and will do anything for money. The prison uses fear as a way to keep the prisoners in line. When you first show up to Shawshank they take you in, strip you down, and spray you with water. After that, they throw this powder on you then give you your clothes and walk you to your cell naked. The prisoners have a game to see who breaks down first, so they yell at the new prisoners until one breaks. Their goal is to break the person they bet on this shows fear because when a new prisoners break they cry and become very scared and the one who broke in the film was murdered by a guard.

Andy subsequently advances to Kohlberg 's stage four. It is obvious that he is quite aware of the rules within the prison and the punishments, but still he continues with certain events. It seems like he gets enjoyment out of irritating the prison officers occasionally and uses his power against them, even though he is well aware of the punishments. This is evident when he played a record over the intercom of the prison. Even though he had the chance to give in to the officers and avoid punishment at all, he sat there with a cheeky grin on his face and turned up the music. At this time, he progressed to level four of Maslow 's theory. His needs for respect and recognition are shown by a few of his fellow inmate when he returns from his time in "the hole". On his bed was a

In Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King and its movie adaptation , The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne and Red face many challenges within themselves. These two men have been incarcerated for almost half of their lives. They’ve become so adjusted to prison life that they question whether or not they would know how to survive without. Andy’s escape showed readers and watchers that his crave and hope for freedom is much stronger than Red’s. There are many similarities as well as differences between the book and film. Both the book and film are based upon hope and freedom.

While many movies have depicted various areas of the criminal justice system, the Shawshank Redemption is like no other. I first watched the film many years ago on television and since have seen it numerous times on platforms such as DVD and Netflix. The key stars in the production, are actors Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Other standouts that who are featured in supporting roles included actors Bob Gunton and Clancy Brown. The film was directed by Frank Darabont who is known for criminal justice films such as the Green Mile. The Shawshank Redemption was first released in theaters September of 1994.

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.

The Shawshank Redemption started with numerous advantages. The story was based on a novella by Stephen King. King works had already been tapped to create other memorable movies. The Shining, Stand by Me and Misery all had critical success. His reputation as a storyteller should have attracted King’s dedicated followers, the previous movie adaptations, cinephiles. Tim Robbins, cast as Andy Dufresne, had already risen to a certain status with roles