The least significant aspect of "The Shawshank Redemption" is that Andy Dufresne is in jail. Further, this is not a prison drama - although at times it may seem like it. Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is the lack of development Andy Dufresne’s character.
Seldom does a movie obliterate viewers’ optimism so close to the outset. Within the first 10 minutes, "The Shawshank Redemption" manages to vanquish hope to the point of wondering what use there could be to even imagine better days. "The Shawshank Redemption" is a tale of taking away everything in order to distill life down to what is truly important. As they say, only when it rains do you miss the sun.
It is not a prison drama, although at times it may seem like it. As the film drags along through Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Otis Redding’s (Morgan Freeman) decades of monotony within the walls of Shawshank Penitentiary, director Frank Darabont slowly reintroduces hope as a savior, with Robbins’ character personifying unwavering hope. And, as with every purported "savior," some see it as a threat, dangerous and too good to be true. With the themes of social injustice and becoming institutionalized, a war is waged between the dark side of humanity and the brilliance of hope.
Dufresne was a banker on the outside. A man with the ideal life for the times - a wife, a house and a high paying job. In typical fashion, his life takes a dark turn when he is blamed after his wife and her lover are murdered in bed together. Dufresne is quickly sent to prison, where he meets Otis (Red) Redding, a "man who can get you things."
Dufresne is not the most sociable man, but he warms up to Red and before long becomes friends with some of the guys. Red, who also narrates the story, shows real curiosity towards Dufresne - which highlights the actions of the newcomer, showing how he is different from some of the ‘institutionalized’ men in the prison. While in prison, Dufresne takes action immediately, treating prison life like he would treat life on the outside. After some adjustment to prison, complete with the clichéd hardships of a difficult Warden, violent head guard and attempted rapes accompanied with beatings, Dufresne begins to not just fit in, but fit the prison to his liking.
Eventually, Dufresne utilizes his financial knowledge to get close to the warden and the guards, creating opportunities that not just every inmate gets. Of course, there are some solitary blocks in the road and a few setbacks along the way, but Dufresne continues to push forward. Soon Dufresne is working directly for the warden, doing his financial dirty work. This evolution of Dufresne's role in the prison leads to a sensitive relationship with the warden, which climaxes into a couple of months in solitary when Dufresne oversteps his bounds. An introduction of a new character with some vital information to Dufresne further winds the storyline of the film around a new bend - facilitating more storyline development and perhaps a bit too much of a departure from the main storyline.
Social injustice rears its ugly head just minutes into the film. Dufresne is condemned to two consecutive life sentences by a judge that seems to base the decision on his view of Dufresne as a “somewhat icy and remorseless man." From that very moment in the film, viewers take the side of Dufresne, as he descends into the veritable pit of despair that is Shawshank.
The story is told almost as a cluster of mini episodes that are not mutually exclusive. One could watch the beginning of the movie, any of the middle segments, or the ending and still obtain the same effect. However, when watched in total, the story bombards the viewer with the same message transmitted in different situations, painting a clear picture of hope always prevailing in the end. The scene in which Dufresne plays an opera record over the intercom system, stopping the unlikely audience of the inmates in their tracks, is a particularly strong one. He was punished by time in solitary, and he said afterward that it was the easiest time he’d ever done, thanks to the music in his head. The whole scene moves the audience in an inspiring way, making viewers proud to be on Dufresne's side.
As the story continues, Dufresne continues to show the perseverance and hope are paramount with the introduction of Tommy Williams. Williams (Gil Bellows) is a young man with information that could set Dufresne free. This information is yet another symbol of hope, and the Warden does all he can to impede Dufresne from taking the information and running with it. However, Dufresne is determined to push the envelope, even as the Warden removes Williams from the situation. This sets off Dufresne, who begins to take final action, undeterred from his final goal of freedom.
This action of rising above the resistance from the Warden and continuing on his mission shows Dufresne's true character yet again. The film also creates the feeling that hope is contagious. This seems to be one of the purposes of Freeman’s character throughout the film. From the very beginning, Redding is a roadblock for the hope that is Dufresne. However, through talk of the Pacific Ocean and the famous “get busy livin’ or get busy dyin” quote, Dufresne taps into Red’s human spirit.
In the end, the social injustice is righted by Dufresne, who in his escape manages to incriminate the head guard and the warden. This ends the movie with not only the feeling that hope prevailed, but that all is right in the world of Dufresne and Shawshank Penitentiary.
Boiling "The Shawshank Redemption" down to it’s essence, it is a story of a symbol of hope being assaulted - with a string of plagues that make one wonder if Dufresne is the reincarnation of the biblical Pharaoh in the ancient Egypt that is Shawshank. A cheating wife, multiple life sentences, endless beatings and months in solitary confinement only begin to list the trials that hope endured throughout the film.
Yet hope prevailed through 500 yards of excrement, reborn into a stream in a raging storm, the rain washing away the past. The lack of character development in Robbins’ character was not a mistake. It was the purpose. Through thick and thin, with all the hardships and a doubting best friend in Redding, hope prevailed unchanged. It is a story of hope and the human spirit prevailing through over 16 years and more than one’s fair share of adversity.
