Nine years ago, I wasn’t looking forward to watching the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. At that time, there were a lot of other seemingly better choices like Forrest Gump. I had to be coaxed by my friend, Joey, to watch it. However, as it turned out, I went out of the cinema believing that The Shawshank Redemption was one of the best movies I had ever seen. That belief still holds true. The movie is extremely moving. It successfully illustrates how indomitable the human spirit can be with hope guiding it.
Originally written by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption is a tale of one man’s false conviction, subsequent incarceration at the Shawshank Prison and his lifelong crusade to regain his freedom. That young man is Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins. Andy is a successful New England banker. Set in the 1940s, the film shows how Andy, with the help of his friend, Red (played by Morgan Freeman), a seasoned lifer and the local prison entrepreneur, turns out to be a very unconventional prisoner.
Despite 20 years of incarceration, the prison bars fail to contain Andy’s spirit. Andy and Red forge an unexpectedly deep friendship, one that overcomes pain, suffering and which ultimately leads to a chance at freedom. The movie is about not surrendering to hopelessness. It is about brotherhoods and friendships bonded over the years. It is also about dealing with hatred and evil.
The characters come to life because of their ability to deeply touch the people who watch them. Many people can relate to Red’s character who loses hope in someday rejoining society. Andy on the other hand, reminds us of our friends and family who redeem us and give us back our hope.
Warden Norton, a character played by Bob Gunton, is one of the most overlooked villains. But he makes a great villain because he is a most realistic and relatable nemesis. He isn’t a crazy murderer; rather, he is a corrupt religious official.
There is a lot to learn from this movie. For quite sometime now, our leaders have actively portrayed the part of Warden Norton in our everyday lives. We tend to be like Red and the rest of the Shawshank inmates who submit ourselves to the laws our leaders implement because we ourselves have become "institutionalized."
Life in our country is funny. First, we hate those we’ve elected to lead. Then, we hate the laws they pass. Then we just get used to them. Enough time passes and the system gets to us. We begin to depend on our leaders. Now, that’s being "institutionalized."
Similarly, in the movie, as the inmates get "institutionalized," they realize that as they are sent to serve their terms in Shawshank for life, this is exactly what the institution or prison takes away from them – their LIVES.
The inmates learn to seek refuge in Shawshank and begin to fear the real world knowing that there is a harsh truth to face out there and that there is no assurance if they can ever survive outside Shawshank. At Shawshank, the prisoners hold positions or play important roles that keep the balance or continuity of their everyday routine. Outside, they believe they are nothing — just defeated convicts marked with a scarlet letter for the rest of their lives.
It becomes apparent that being in the confines of Shawshank prison is not the essence of being a prisoner. It becomes clear that imprisonment is caused not by the boundaries of physical walls but the frame of mind that prevents someone to becoming free. Shawshank prison is not a place but a frame of mind.
Andy, on the other hand, is always full of hope while most prisoners would just wallow in despair. He always finds ways to break through the routine of prison life. Imprisonment does not make Andy a prisoner. In fact, it is in Shawshank prison that he finds freedom in a place where everyone else does not realize this still exists – hope.
As the movie progresses to the part where Andy decides to escape, you cannot but feel great joy when he stretches his arms and feels the rain fall on his face the moment he is free.
Emotional and nurturing until the end, The Shawshank Redemption has one of the most beautiful endings of a movie which emphasizes the themes of friendship and loyalty.
As Red walks barefoot on the sand towards an old boat, which Andy is meticulously sanding, the two friends meet again in a place where they are no longer confined by walls, iron bars and guards. All they have is the wide and distant horizon of the blue Pacific with no end in sight. It marks the beginning of a long journey in life… a journey full of hope.