Shawshank Redemption Essay

281 Words2 Pages
The Shawshank Redemption 1. How does the movie illustrate internal and eternal freedom? In the movie Shawshank redemption, freedom plays a very significant role in the lives of all the inmates; especially Andy Dufresne who is wrongfully convicted to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. The movie focuses on both the physical (external) and mental (internal) imprisonment of Andy in the maximum-security prison and his journey to overcome the barriers towards freedom make it a story that amazed everyone. When Andy is first locked up in his cell he is separated from society, he looses his physical freedom and is put in a confined space where his every move is watched. He is given a set of rules, which he must follow everyday for the rest of his life, he has to act with due restraint and if he doesn’t he is punished by the officers in charge. He makes efforts to volunteer to paint the rooftops of the prison and also fanaticizes about living by the sea once he gets out the prison. He wants freedom “from” the confinement he is in but his journey for freedom is not just physical he is always seen aspiring to be mentally free. The smallest of things make him the happiest person in the world such as watching his friends drink beer or the peace he gets when he plays music for the whole Shawshank to listen to, at those moments he achieves the spiritual and internal freedom he so desperately longs for. This inner peace gives him patience to bear 20 years in hell and finally leads him to his
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