Hope is a Good Thing One of Frank Darabont’s most popular works of art is The Shawshank Redemption. He produced this movie in 1994 with the goal of inspiring people to be hopeful. Not only are the characters perfect to exemplify this objective, but the realistic storyline and accurate prison conditions show that hope is a good thing even in intolerable situations. The movie begins with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a successful banker, being accused, and then convicted of murder in the first degree. He supposedly murdered his wife and her lover, a golf pro. This conviction results in two life sentences that will be served at Shawshank Prison. Andy’s first few weeks at Shawshank leave him hopeless and in despair, he talks to very few people and simply does his job. The audience can tell there is no hope for first-time offenders when “Fat Ass”, a chubby, new prisoner, is viciously beaten by the prison guards on his first night, which results in his death. Throughout the movie, main characters Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding (Morgan Freeman), debate on whether having hope is going to help or hinder your experiences in prison. In one scene, Andy is speaking about what he plans to do when he is released. Red responds negatively …show more content…
Fifty years ago prisons would not have anything more than the basic necessities. There wouldn’t be fancy meals, televisions, or visitors, I think Darabont presents this concept very well. The guards in the movie are very strict and do not put up with anything. Punishments are strict in Shawshank as well. Andy receives two months in “the hole”, which is solitary confinement, for telling Warden Norton (Bob Gunton) that he would never reveal anything about the money laundering. Aside from realistic punishments, Shawshank Prison looks very similar to what a prison in this era would look like, for example Adelaide Gaol