Symbolism of water in The Shawshank Redemption.

On the witness stand, Andy describes tossing his gun into a river, and how inconvenient it was that it was never found. The writer could have had Andy put his gun anywhere, in the woods near the lover's house or in his car, but the river symbolized a change. Since the gun washed away, Andy could not prove his innocence. Not only did his gun wash away, so did Andy's life. This short scene sets up a series of scenes in which water marks a change in Andy' life.

Once convicted, Andy is taken to Shawshank Prison. His introduction to

Over nineteen years later, Andy still struggles with prison life. What keeps him alive is his dream to live near the Pacific Ocean. To Mexicans and to Andy, the Pacific is a place that has no memory. If Andy can reach the ocean, whether in reality or in his soul, he can forget the wrongs in his life. The thought of living near the ocean inspires Andy to continue living. The water sets him free from the trials at Shawshank Prison. As Andy embraces the power of the Pacific, Red fears it. All Red knows is prison life, and the Pacific Ocean is a threat to his routine. Where Andy needs the water to remind him he is alive, Red fears the water because it represents another, an "outside," life.

Shortly after their discussion about the Pacific Ocean, Andy's next rebirth occurs. In perhaps one of the most remembered water scenes of the movie, Andy escapes through a sewer and lands in a river. In a scene which lends to the name of the movie, Andy raises his hands to the air, and as rain soaks his half-naked body, his soul is redeemed. The years of prison life are washed away, not by the artificial means like the shower, but by nature. No one imposed this redemption, this rebirth. Andy was freed from the dark ex

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