‘ The Shawshank Redemption’ directed by Frank Darabont follows Andy Dufresne, who is wrongly sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. Throughout the course of the film, there are three main points that shock the majority of viewers. These points exercise the ideas of hope, redemption and also show that institutionalization is a major problem.

The isolation scene has great significance within the film. Darabont successfully utilizes prominent natural lighting whenever difficult times arise, which clearly outlines the director’s key theme of hope.

Lighting plays a major role in the movie, especially within the isolation scene. Personally, I believe it was included in this scene to show viewers that after all the mental and physical pain Andy was put through, he was still holding onto hope.

Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. In the Shawshank prison, inmates have completely given up on hope as it has been stripped from them due to how corrupt and evil the prison system is. We see this throughout the film but it is more prominent within the Rooftop scene, where Andy and his companions are recruited by the guards in order to tar the roof. The viewers are shown inside the prison before transitioning outside. Inside, the harsh, unbreakable walls are grey and lifeless, and the inmates look beaten down. This for me gives a sense of all hope being lost. Throughout the film, Andy is placed under the same circumstances as the other inmates, he is continually beaten and worn down by the prison system but the only difference is, he has hope and a lot of it. Once again we see lighting plays quite a big role, in the rooftop scene, where Andy overhears the head guard discussing his struggles with money with another guard- this is where he uses his banking expertise and suggests a way for Hadley, to avoid paying taxes, which eventually results in a large bucket filled with beer being gifted to him for his help.

the inmates are seen drinking the cold beer in the sun. For viewers, it is quite an uplifting scene, as we see the unmerciful environment of the prison dissolve away. Andy sits away from the group to possibly show that he is different from the others. Natural lighting is extremely prominent in this scene, it engulfs the corner Andy is sitting in and turns the cold grey bricks into a glistening gold color. For viewers, this shows that he still holds onto the hope that he may possibly be free again. This is reinforced by a short comment that Red makes about the situation “You could argue he’d done it to curry favor with the guards… Me? I think he did it to feel normal again, only for a short while”. Later in the story, Andys life becomes quite dark. After experiencing the death of one of his best friends, Tommy Williams, and continually disobeying guards, The warden decided it was finally time to place Andy in solitary confinement. At this point, Andys mental health was already beginning to deteriorate. For viewers, it seems like he has lost all hope, and the prison has finally beaten him – but this is not the case. When the warden pays Andy a visit, straight from the getgo he begins an attempt to push Andy over the edge one last time. The warden begins to throw comments such as “You will do the hardest time there is, no more protection from the guards” and “The library, sealed off brick by brick” “the rest of us had a little book barbeque in the yard, you could see the flames for miles”. Personally, I believe these last two comments really hit home for Andy. When the warden leaves, this is when viewers believe he’s finally been broken, and this is the end for him. The next scene is shown is of Andy, curled up in the corner of the dark, cold isolation chamber, before a strip of light comes bursting through a hole in the door, indicating that Andy, after everything he has been put through, is still holding onto hope.

Frank Darabont effectively uses the isolation and rooftop scene to signify to viewers that Andy was always holding onto hope – this finally would result in Andys escape, which took 19, slow painful years. To do this would require a considerable amount of determination and aspiration. As young, amateur teens, we will eventually face strenuous challenges some time in our lives and will struggle. This is why I believe the majority of people should watch ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ and utilize one of the directors key themes of hope when faced with challenges in difficult times.

Redemption is defined as the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. The theme of redemption also plays a very important part of the film. By using this, Darabont allows viewers an insight into Andys life and shows his long, 19-year, road to redemption.

Even though Andy is falsely sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover, he still had to redeem himself – “On the outside, I was an honest man. Straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook” for me this shows that even though he wasn’t guilty, he still had to redeem himself. Even though Andy was innocent, he still committed crimes while serving time in prison (making him a crook). Some examples of the things he did were smuggling in and using unauthorized goods, getting into numerous fights with a group called ‘The Sisters’, and assisting the warden in tax evasion. Personally, I believe a way Andy gained his redemption was by working alongside and against him behind his back the evil warden, slowly gaining his trust, gaining more privileges before finally using them to his advantage, and escaping. Before Andy began his escape, he spent a long, painful 19 years going unnoticed, digging a hole in his cell wall. He crawled through this hole before finding himself on top of a sewage pipe, before smashing a hole in the top of it and muffling the sounds of the large clanging sounds with the crackling of lightning in the storm raging outside. Next, Andy would jump into the pipe and would crawl through it. “Andy Dufresne crawled through a river of shit and came through clean on the other side” for me, this presents the theme of redemption, and it can be seen as a metaphor, as he literally crawled through fecal matter for 500 yards (acting like the past) before coming and falling out the other end of the pipe and into a creek – which wipes all the shit off him as he stands up (present). This shocked the people within the audience that understood this scene. It seems to be that Andy has been reborn. He crawled through shit and struggled, which acts as the past and his road to redemption, and when he falls out into the creek and stands up cleansed of fecal matter, suggesting his rebirth and redemption. Another scene viewers are presented with is when Andy stands up and spreads his arms and looks into the sky (Jesus type figure). It is another good example of his sins being washed away (redemption).

The Shawshank Redemption presents another extremely important theme/problem of institutionalization, and it helps to relate Brookes (along with other characters) issue to the wider spectrum/real world, and give the viewers a more in-depth look into the problems these inmates face.

Institutionalization is defined as the act of establishing something like a convention or norm in an organization or culture. When an inmate within a prison becomes institutionalized, it means they become habitual to the rules and procedures that are involved with their everyday life, and eventually, they will know no different. A quote from Red reinforces this idea “these walls are funny, first you hate them, then you start to get used to them. Enough time passes and you begin to depend on them”. Basically, Red is saying that over a period of time, most inmates mindsets will begin to change and they will depend on being inside the prison and being directed by its system, and once they are finally free, they will struggle with the newly developing world that has been hidden from them for years. A great example of this is Brookes. He was incarcerated in 1905 for presumable murder (due to his extensive time in prison). When he was released on parole almost 50 years later, he obviously struggled. Moving from inside the harsh, almost lifeless environment of the prison to the fresh, newly developed outside world would have hit home for him. He worked in a supermarket and lived in a tiny apartment, saw cars and used phones, which is nothing like he has ever experienced before, and without the law and order he was used to, he struggled horribly and contemplated committing another crime and going back to “where he belonged”. After continuing to try and attempt to change Brookes could no longer handle what he was faced with, and sadly ended his life. Institutionalization is a problem seen in everyday life that I believe needs to be brought to light, and somehow changed and dealt with. A good example of this is a 9 to 5 desk job, or even school in a way. You sit in front of a computer, complete book/paperwork, stop and eat lunch, complete book/paperwork for hours and hours on end before finally going home, eating dinner, sleeping, and repeating the same routine every single day for however many so years, and this is why some people, just like Brookes are afraid to leave what they’re used to (school, work, prison, etc..) and step out of their comfort zones.

Darabont successfully utilizes institutionalization within the film to signify to viewers that it is a real problem. The story of Brookes made viewers empathize for him, and also astonished viewers that understood that so many other real-life people face the same problem, not only in prison but the majority of places too. Personally, I can partly relate to this, as I am currently a student in sort of a similar situation to Brookes, as I have to ask to go to the toilet, eat at the same time every day, and sit still and be quiet while working (routine). I do recognize that some people are dealing with quite a dangerous stage of institutionalization and really struggle. I believe they need support so they are not pulled down into the dark hole Brookes was for so long.

Hope, Redemption and Institutionalization were key themes effectively used in Darabont’s film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’’. These were introduced in many parts in the film but really came into perspective with Brookes story, in the isolation scene, and in the crucifixion scene. Darabont intended for viewers to reflect back on themselves to possibly include some of these aspects within their lives. People can do this, and it can quite possibly improve their lives if they bring up, and decide to integrate these within difficult times or everyday life – this is why I believe everyone should try and take the time to watch ‘The Shawshank Redemption’.