Shawshank Redemption

Starting out, I did not think that I was going to enjoy this movie. I was very wrong. The movie Shawshank Redemption was amazing. It is one of those movies that truly move you, and make you feel great after watching. The movie did not contain crazy action scenes or extreme effects, just some characters in a jail, but it was more intense than a Jackie Chan movie. The main character, Andy Dufresne was sentenced to two life terms after being found guilty of killing his wife and her lover. Oddly, Andy was actually innocent although no one believes him because everyone at the jail claims they are innocent. Faith was used with a subtle touch in this movie, showing the importance of spirit, and hope. Various characters and events were used as symbols of religion. This also goes to show how a movie does not have to be ambiguously religious to contain a religious message.

One of the more prominent themes in this movie was recovery. There were a few scenes where Red was in front of the jail officials to see if he was "cured." Several times he claimed that he was cured and is now a good person, but each time his release was denied. This is ironic because after Andy escapes, Red actually speaks his mind about how he feels and they release him. Red was recovered the entire time but did not speak his mind.

Another great theme is Spirit. In order to survive in jail you must have spirit. Andy and Brooks showed spirit while working the library. They both seemed okay in jail and did not appear to be harmful. This helped out Brooks because he eventually got released. The two just kept to themselves and were allowed the right to roam the jail and give out books. Andy also had the spirit to build a wonderful library for all of the inmates. He never gave up, even though he kept receiving letters from the government denying his requests. One day they sent him a letter and it included a check to help him along with his project. His spirit and determination helped him do such good things for his new environment.

Another thing that inmates need in order to stay sane is hope. Andy had hope throughout the movie. Little did we know that he had been digging through the jail cell wall for years. We