Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption

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The 1994 drama, The Shawshank Redemption was directed by Frank Darabont, and based off of the Stephen King short story, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the film tells the story of Andy Dufrense, portrayed by Robbins, serving life at the Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover, a crime he adamantly claims to not have committed. Yet, he still holds the weight of guilt of the crime on his shoulders, by his neglect of his wife that resulted in her committing infidelity in the first place. During his two decade stay in the hellhole that is Shawshank, one thing keeps Andy going forward, keeps him sane. It is a binding theme that connects the film and its literary source…show more content…
A number of different actions of the characters show manifestations of hope throughout the story. It could be as simple as a bottle of beer, which, as Red said, "was still the best I ever had in my life" (King, 32). In a way, that is something of a secret weapon that Andy Dufresne uses to give his fellow inmates hope, an object that gives a powerful feeling for whoever it is given to. The beer given to the prisoners to drink while working on the roof is an ideal example of this. While they labor away on the roof, hot, a large amount of tar, and a cruel guard, Collins 4 warns them to keep working, or else he will beat them. All of a sudden, thanks to Andy, they all have a beer to drink, like free men doing their jobs. They can stop, rest, and feelgood, if not for a moment. A seemingly small act of giving them beer, gives the inmates hope, because, it aids them in remembering how it feels to be free. Another avenue can be a library that is highly funded, where Dufresne "discovered a hunger for information on such snail hobbies as soap-carving, woodworking, sleight of hand, and card solitaire" (King, 34). Even the pile of money Andy leaves for Red to find in the hayfield, or rather the note that came with the money that gives Red hope: “I opened the envelope and read the letter and then I put my head in my arms and cried” (King, 86). That particular quote stresses something that is very important in the story, that objects are not necessarily important. Rather, it is what they represent and how they impact people. That is what really matters. As a matter of fact the library does much more to give the prisoners hope. It helps "over two dozen guys who have used the books in here to help them pass their high school equivalency tests" (King, 40). What is more important,
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