In the movie The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman's character Red is redeemed from his suffering as a result of the actions of Tim Robbins’ character Andy Dufresne. There is only one thing that can preserve a man’s spirit in Shawshank prison and that is hope. Throughout the film Red is continually puzzled how Andy is able to retain his hope despite having to endure tremendous hardships, ranging from false incarceration to multiple gang rapes. Andy is still able to live fully and freely even in his captivity unlike many of the other inmates who have lost all sense of hope. I think the “redemption” incorporated into the title of the film alludes to the end of the film when Andy teaches Red to realize the significance of hope. At that point, …show more content…
It is inferred that hope is the internal belief of one day being free from the hell that is Shawshank. Andy has this hope, and we start to see it appearing among the other characters as well later in the film. A particular scene that embodies the idea of hope is when Andy takes blows the dust off an old recording locks the guard in the bathroom. Even the guards stop and are visibly affected when Andy hijacks the PA system and blasts Mozart across the entire prison yard. As the camera gives us a slow panning shot of the prison yard, one can see inmates and guards alike standing frozen, looking up in awe at the speakers blasting foreign opera music. The camera then focuses on Andy leaning back in his chair with his hands rested behind his head with a big grin on his face. The look that Andy maintains, even when Warden Norton comes to break down the door, expresses how Andy refuses to conform to the system that tries to turn him into something he is not. Andy’s unwillingness to comply with those who try to falter his spirit signifies how he intends to never lose hope. The look of awe that is shared by all the prisoners looking up at the speakers expresses how for so long they have been dehumanized by their monotonous daily lives, and for that one moment they are able to feel what it is to