THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION “Get busy living, or get busy dying.” Hope is the center around which this film revolves. Shawshank is a terrible place, but what is worse, apart from the corrupt warden, sadistic guards and even ‘the sisters’ is its power to dehumanize. The heart of the film is Andy's unbreakable spirit. Andy Dufresne is an enigma to Red and the other inmates, a man they admire but never really understand. He is a complicated fellow and Red struggles to understand his reticence at times. What many inmates take for snobbery is actually reserve and caution as Andy tries to stay one step ahead of his fellow prisoners. Without this ability, Andy would never have survived his twenty-eight years in prison nor managed to escape. Andy emerges as an object of fascination for many of the inmates: Andy, the man who can talk down the guards; Andy, the man who can manipulate the warden; and Andy, the man who can escape out from under everyone’s nose. …show more content…
Both of them are from different walks of life. Andy, the mild- mannered banker who is innocent, befriends Red, one who is guilty of violence and criminal activity; they come from different backgrounds. ‘Hope can spring eternal regardless of difference.’ It is this very idea that individuals are able to find common ground and connect. Both Andy and Red are able to find common ground in their disdain for Shawshank and their acts of resistance towards the institution. Red runs his "store" while Andy provides an industry of financial advice and