Shawshank Redemption Essay

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The Shawshank Redemption   The film, The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont, is based on the lives of several prisoners at Shawshank State Prison. All of the prisoners and the prison itself are somehow redeemed or changed in the duration of the film. They battled against institutionalisation and fear and some learn to hope for a better future. The main character in the film is Andy Dufresne. He is a young banker who is convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to life at Shawshank State Prison. Here he befriends Red. The film is told from Red’s point of view. Red battles against institutionalisation and Andy tries to instil hope in him. “Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free” sums up the major themes of the film. Even in such a dark place where fear can hold a person prisoner, there is a light and a possibility of hope. Hope and institutionalisation are the major themes in the film. Often this hope is embodied by Andy Dufresne. This is seen when he is sent to Shawshank. Through this hope is brought redemption as he attempts to escape and brings a sense of freedom to the other inmates. The central character in the film is Andy Dufresne. He is a trusted banker on the outside and is convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover. Unlike most of the prisoners in Shawshank, Andy is innocent. He is sentenced to two life sentences back to back and is sent to Shawshank prison. He plays a Christ like figure in the film. In his first two years in prison he is constantly raped: “Prison is no fairytale world” (Red). He soon developed a working relationship with the prison warden who was corrupt. The warden used Andy to do his taxes. Andy was aware of this and used it to his advantage: “The funny thing is on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come

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