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Themes of The Shawshank Redemption

            The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont, is considered one of the best movies of all time as a result of the powerful hidden themes. The lead character, Andy Dufresne, is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the fictional Shawshank Prison in the state of Maine. Unfortunately, he is innocent and should not have ended up there which relates to how life is not always fair and the corruption within today's society and the prison in this case. He does, however, manage to strive on and find hope and eventually escape from the prison 20 years prior to his conviction. This goes to show how perseverance and persistence are important qualities to keep a hold of in a place where they lack. Andy also managed kept his integrity which allowed him to be a trustworthy person who could help others and in turn earned him friendships from people among the prison.
             The idea of a prison is to turn criminals into better people while Shawshank blurs that line between right and wrong and challenges this concept that isolating and reforming criminals will turn them into law-abiding citizens. Instead, the prison is a place where Andy encounters the idea of corruption from not only the prison members but also from among the guards and warden. However, he manages to take advantage of this by gaining the trust of the warden so that he could survive for the duration of his prison life. This allowed him to gain protection from the wardens corrupt side just long enough so that he could frame him at the end. This is relatable to today's society with sports where match fixing occurs a fair amount as a result of greed and bribery between the players and managers. A recent example of corruption from within today's world is with FIFA where they have been exploiting the system for many years. This further suggests how corruption is inescapable no matter where you are.


Essays Related to Themes of The Shawshank Redemption

1. shawshank redemption

The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King is both a wonderful film and a brilliantly written short story. There are many themes represented in each form of The Shawshank Redemption. The one major theme that interests me in both the film and the story is freedom. ... The director's technique to portray the same theme was a good idea for the film, proving to the viewer the theme of freedom still is maintained in the film. Bibliography BOOK "The Shawshank Redemption" Stephan King, The Shawshank Redemption United States, The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1982 MOVIE "The Shawshank Redemption" Di...

  • Word Count: 814
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Shawshank Redemption

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the novella by Stephen King, has great literary value. ... First, it contains themes and life lessons that can be learned throughout life. ... This attraction to everyday people is of great importance in this novella"s literary value.In conclusion, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is a great story with much literary value. In its short but sweet way, it teaches life lessons through deep underlying themes. This novella is among the best of King"s best works; "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption has a lovely, audacious shape, and I Can"t belie...

  • Word Count: 382
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3. SHAW SHANK REDEMPTION

The Shawshank Redemption was directed and written by Frank Darabont who adapted horror master Stephen King's 1982 novel "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". ... The movie "The Shawshank Redemption" has excellent examples of the issues of corruption and brutality of the prison system. ... The part that counts, anyways" (Red, Shawshank redemption). The characters within these films also reinforced the themes. ... Also in the film "Shawshank Redemption", an excellent camera shot is used when Andy escapes out of jail and into the river. ...

  • Word Count: 1228
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption I. ... The book is called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. ... Theme: The theme in the book and the theme in the movie are pretty much the same thing. The over all theme is to never give up. ... Andy also showed the theme of never giving up. ...

  • Word Count: 1516
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Creative Analysis - The Shawshank Redemption

The film Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont used many techniques such as lighting, colour and camera shots to show the main theme of Andy's ability to hope. ... The cold, dark grey colors of Shawshank prison compared to the brightness of the blue Pacific Ocean highlighted that hope is a good thing. ... This was done to show us the theme that hope makes a man happy (which Andy retained throughout the film) and can bring peace even in the bleakest places. Many camera shots were used to develop the theme by contrasting Andy's hope with his inmates who had lost their hope an...

  • Word Count: 530
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. shawshank redemption-hope

In the film "The Shawshank Redemption" the prevalent theme seemed to be the effect of hope in bleak circumstances. The main Character Andy Dufresne, viewed hope as an important tool. He believed hope was a good thing and hope never dies. The trials and tribulations that he suffered on the insid...

  • Word Count: 481
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

7. hope

The Film The Shawshank Redemption is a film which was based entirely around central themes. Those include Freedom as Norton said "Freedom lies within", redemption and the fact that it lay in truth and finally, the cornerstone of friendship and loyalty. All these themes are emphasized by Frank darabont's use of lighting, and how it adds importance to the scene's and helps the viewers understand the scene and the characters. ... Thus adding to the theme of dominance and power "Put your trust in the Lord your ass belongs to me" A false feeling and one of hypocracy. ... Thro...

  • Word Count: 579
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  • Grade Level: High School

8. Changing Self

The texts that have effectively shaped my understanding of change is the play "Away" by Michael Gow, the short story Sky-High by Hannah Roberts, the movie The Shawshank Redemption and Shane Gould's Autobiography Tumble Turns. ... A main theme that Gow focuses on is that to be in agreement with the natural world is essential if one is to be in touch with oneself. ... Robert presents the theme of the unselfconscious and simple joy of childhood and the inability of the adult back to regain that child-like innocence. ... The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont is a story about...

  • Word Count: 1033
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Stephen King

Some of those movies are The Shining (1980), Christine (1983), Stand By Me (1986), Misery (1990), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), Knightriders (1981), Creepshow (1982), Pet Sematary (1989), Sleepwalkers (1992), and the TV movie The Stand (1994). ... For example, the mean spirited warden in the novel The Shawshank Redemption, and government officials in his works, such as, Dreamcatcher and The Stand. ... Another unique quality King adds to his works is the fact that most of his novels share common themes. One of the most prevalent themes amongst h...

  • Word Count: 1741
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

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