The Shawshank Redemption Essay, Research Paper
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a really alone film which involves many
different personalities and underlying subjects. The personalities of the inmates
are really interesting and when they are combined they create a really absorbing
secret plan which looks at prison life in a interesting and different position than
one usually thinks. The chief characters are Andy Dufrense ( Tim Robbins ) and
Eliss & # 8220 ; Red & # 8221 ; Redding ( Morgan Freeman ) . These characters are good complimented by
the wise and simple old adult male, Brooks ( James Whitmore ) , and the evil warden. The
personalities of the Shawshank prison combined to organize a kind of community. One
ne’er truly thinks of a prison as such, but it seems to keep true. This film
showed a prison non merely as a topographic point where liquidators and stealers live, but as a
community of people who have had jobs and may or may non be rehabilitating.
It seems that some captives go in and accept what they have done and seek to
do something of an already black life while others give up and truly
Don & # 8217 ; t care if they commit other offenses ( inside and outside of the prison ) . But
in all world, the prison was place for the inmates and they made it into what
it was. The demeanour of the characters creates a really alone ambiance.
The narrative revolves around Andy who is convicted of slaying his married woman
and her lover in 1946 and is sentenced to life in prison. He is sent to the
Shawshank prison, the province prison in Maine which is known for its abrasiveness.
At the beginning of the film, one does non cognize if Andy committed the
atrocious offense of slaying. But what is known is that he is non ready for prison
and candidly doesn & # 8217 ; t seem like a adult male who would last. His believing traveling in is
merely to last and intermix in. He knows that lodging out would non be good for
him. Throughout the film, Andy undergoes several alterations in his personality.
But overall, he seems like a wise adult male who will cover with what the justness system
has served him. He is normal on the outside but seems full of emotion. His
emotional side is best put by the 4/14/95 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle
which reads, & # 8220 ; ? Dufrense, a soft-spoken banker with emotions bubbling under the
surface. & # 8221 ; Andy is a really complex character but one can see that he holds his
feelings inside of him and tries non to allow people cognize how he feels.
Andy & # 8217 ; s friendly relationship with Red begins in a curious manner because neither of them
hold anything in common. Andy asks for a stone cock which Red gets for him. Red,
cognizing that Andy is vulnerable, gets him on the pitch responsibility and seems to take him
under his wing. The friendly relationship is really alone and they both are really energetic
with emotion. Bill Dupre of the News and Observer writes of their emotion
together, & # 8220 ; This is a graceful, quiet word picture, and Robbins & # 8217 ; scenes with
Freeman are wrought with deepness, daintiness, and precision. & # 8221 ;
This is where the timeserving side of Andy begins to be apparent. After
catching the guards speaking, he about put on the line his life to state the guard that
he will assist him maintain the $ 30,000 that he inherited. This shows that Andy had
backbones and that he wanted to last. In return for his favour of assisting the guard,
he gets his fellow workers ice cold beers on the last twenty-four hours. It is dry because
he has quit imbibing himself. Andy so begins to work in the library because
the warden hears of his endowments in finance. This is where Andy foremost meets
Brooks. He utilize this chance to inquire the province for more money to construct a
larger library. And eventually, the manner Andy escapes is about genius. Knowing that
he is on the good side of the warden, he devises a really interesting and
successful program of flight.
Overall, Andy blends in with the prison community through the good times
and the bad ( the sisters, a group of homosexual rapers ) . His personality is one
of a individual who makes the most of
what he has. But he ne’er loses hope that he
will be free one twenty-four hours.
Red is a really alone character in his ain right. The prison & # 8217 ; s exclusive black
inmate, he is the adult male who smuggles contraband into the prison. He is besides a
& # 8220 ; lifer & # 8221 ; and he says that he is the lone adult male in the prison who is guilty. He has
accepted his destiny and is covering with the prison as his life but still tries to
do his life on the interior the best he can. Red truly doesn & # 8217 ; t believe much about
being paroled ( he is rejected several times during the film ) . He merely takes one
twenty-four hours at a clip. He is determined non to allow the gaol system acquire to him. His
friendly relationship with Andy becomes stronger throughout the film from when they foremost
meet until Red joins Andy in Mexico. Red is a adult male who knows the rights and
wrongs of the prison and it seems that Andy becomes his learner during the
film.
Overall, Red is a elusive adult male who tries non to be noticed. His personality
is one of doggedness and he is ready to accept what the system may cover him.
Talking about the warden is hard merely for the ground that he is a
cruel adult male who represents immorality and unfairness in the film. The ground the warden
takes a liking to Andy is because Andy is an complete comptroller who can
aid him rip off the province. The timeserving Andy takes advantage of this by
reading the Bible ( to affect the warden ) and fundamentally making what he is told.
This leads to the warden & # 8217 ; s death ( swearing Andy excessively much ) and Andy & # 8217 ; s flight.
The personality of the warden does non alter much throughout the film.
Even if he does something nice ( allowing Andy aid fellow inmates ) , his sole
intent is to gain and be in charge. He shows off his power many times and in
the cruelest manner. For illustration, his power and inhuman treatment can be best seen when he
discovers that the immature inmate & # 8217 ; s testimony may liberate Andy. The warden & # 8217 ; s solution
is to kill the immature inmate and acquire the affair out of the manner. Losing Andy would
be lay waste toing to him. The warden fundamentally adds the bad cat dimension to the
film.
The prison had people of all ages and backgrounds ( non racial ) . Brooks is a
existent old timer who had been in the prison for a really long clip. He exemplified a
adult male who had merely made prison his life and he was really content with his life. He
ne’er foresaw go forthing and cognize this would be his life. He didn & # 8217 ; t expect anything
out of the ordinary to go on. He seems to be a lost psyche non cognizing what he
wants or what is right for him. His decease signified his confusion.
The film gives us a position of a prison non truly shown earlier.
Though the film may look unrealistic in some ways, it is really moving and makes
one think deeper about who the inmates are and what they are truly similar. In the
4/14/95 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle it reads, & # 8220 ; As absurd as it is
appealing, ? The Shawshank Redemption & # 8217 ; takes a straightforward, psyche stirring
novel by Stephen King and turns it into a somber, bloated prison play designed
to pump you with inspiration. & # 8221 ; This inspiration is created by the actions and
words of assorted characters. It is really an inspiration to the spectator to
ever have hope and prosecute your ends. Red said, & # 8220 ; Hope is unsafe on the
inside. & # 8221 ; He was stating that holding hope could drive a adult male loony but in all
world he had hope in himself. This was untrue because Brooks & # 8217 ; decease signified
a deficiency of hope. He truly had no 1 and the inmates were his household. Leaving
the prison was lay waste toing and he merely thought nil of life. Red was contradi
ctory to his ain words because he ended up lasting and wining all because
of the hope that he had.
The personalities of the characters create an about unreal scene where
you see things you may non anticipate to see. A community of people is what the
film is approximately. A community which goes through good times and bad 1s. But the
characters are what makes this movie so alone and so great.