The Shawnshank Redemption

Watched in May 2021 

The Plot. 

Andy, a successful banker, is charged with a murder and was put into a prison called Shawnshank State Prison. In the prison, he experienced many violence and torture by the senior prisoners, the prison guard, and the warden. However, he did not give up his hope and with all his mind (the knowledge he gained in the past), and all his soul ( to seek for freedom) and all his strength ( by digging up a hole in the prison cell), he eventually got out of the prison and became a free man. 

This is a picture of Andy and his best friend in the prison, Red, in a beach after they both got out of the prison. 

This is a picture of him in the Shawnshank State Prison in the beginning of his prison life. 

It is not difficult to find out the theme of the movie – freedom, redemption, and hope. 

Institutionalized 

The movie talks about despair, the danger of hope, and also the danger of being institutionalized. 

Like a bird in a cage, if we are too used to being in the same environment, we run into a danger of being institutionalized. 

Brooks Hatlen is an old prisoner, who is in charge of the prison library. After many many years in the prison, he is so familiar with his life in the prison settings, and does not want to be out of the system. He was released and then he killed himself because he can not adjust himself to a new environment. 

After many years, Red finally got released too, and he faces the same situation as Brooks has. In a store he works at, he constantly asks his store manager for permission to pee because this is what is required in a prison setting. The good news is that Andy gave him hope and let him go to a beach where I mentioned in the beginning. And there they started a new life of freedom. 

This is what Andy said to Red. 

This is what Andy said to the warden who tries his best to imprison him and institionize him. 

Andy is redeemed. 

As a side note. 

The story of Andy actually reminds of the story of Joseph, a figure in the bible. Joseph was Jocab’s son and he was sold by his brothers to Egypt and he was later wrongfully put into a prison. Yet, he did not lose hope, he did not complaint, and he got out of the prison. To view a full story of Joseph, please read this.