The definition of the word “injustice” means “a violation of the rights of others; unjust or unfair action or treatment”. Injustice and corruption are recurring themes in the novella, they are also crippling issues in prisons in our country and around the world. For example, the United States maintain the largest incarceration rate in the world, at 1.6million. Human rights research found that the massive over-incarceration includes a number of elderly people whom prisons are unequipped to handle, an estimated 93000 youth under 18 in adult jails, along with 2200 in adult prisons. Hundreds of children are subjected to solitary confinement in the hopes that they will reform. This injustice damages the rehabilitative intent that prisons were meant …show more content…
“You used to think that you were better than anyone else. I have gotten pretty good at seeing that one a man’s face… That look is gone now, and I like that just fine. It is not just that you are a useful vessel, never think that. It is simply that men like you need to learn humility” (King 71). Norton is seeking to cut Andy down and to break his confidence and crush all of his hopes of freedom. He comes out and says blatantly that his punishments have nothing to do with Andy’s behaviour, but rather he is being punished just because of the way he acts (with confidence). It is unjust that Norton can just use his position as means to damage others when his job is to direct the prison in a peaceful manner. Also, Norton threatens Andy with continuous solitary among other punishments if Andy does not continue to do Norton's financing, which is also corrupt and would be grounds for jail …show more content…
It is shown through Andy’s experiences, his trial, the way he is treated by guards, and Norton's corrupt ways. King delivers a great message in this novella about how corruption and Injustice are prominent in prison settings and cannot be avoided, even by someone as smart and calculating as Andy. King could also be saying how Justice only comes to those who are willing to put in the effort to achieve it, and even then it is never guaranteed. I think he wants us to understand how random justice can be, and how, even when things are unfair, there is not always lot you can do about