‘Shawshank Redemption’ Analysis

Shawshank Redemption tells the story of a man who was framed for the murder of his wife and lover and must overcome the rugged lifestyle of prison. Andy Dufresne, the protagonist, is a man who is wrongfully accused for the murder of his wife and lover. However, he accepts his fate knowing the flaws in the justice system.

What makes Andy different from the other inmates is that he alone brings hope to a place where there is none. What is surprising about this is that his attitude is surprisingly stoic and reserved when you wouldn’t expect it to be. We see the human element through Andy’s actions such as getting in trouble for playing music to the entire prison, using a favor to give his friends beers, and rebuilding the entire prison library.

As a direct result of these actions, Andy proves the lifelong teaching of doing good when no one is looking. No one asked Andy to do the things he did, but he did them anyway simply because he could and because he saw it as the best use of his time. Through this, he transforms his person into someone who doesn’t need to be commended for the things he does, but instead, he does them out of the kindness of his heart.