Plot
Rita Hayworth and Shawkshank Redemption is about Andy Dufresne, a man who was wrongfully accused for murdering his wife and is imprisoned in Shawshank Prison for life. The story explains the hardships and struggles Andy goes through while in prison. Andy is clearly a man who is innocent but cannot get out of prison. He is stuck in a place with people he doesn't fit in with and this makes him an easy target. Despite this fact, he also brings with him a sense of self worth and a certain skill set that allows him to be protected by the guards while he helps them with their money. This part of the story allows the reader to see that Andy is a good man in a place filled with a majority of bad people. Also it shows the reader that some of the people hired to watch over the convicts are more evil and wretched than the people they lock in the prison. Andy's feelings are confused during this phase and it makes it seem as if he doesn't know what he wants. This feeling keeps the readers attention and when the Stephen King reveals that the Warden knows Andy is innocent, that feeling is instantly replaced with a hope that Andy can get out. When Andy's escape tunnel is finally revealed it shows how dedicated and calculating he was. It gives the reader a good feeling since he got the last laugh against the Warden.
Point of View
The story is told by Red who is also an inmate at Shawshank Prison. He is the person who can get you anything in prison so it makes the reader assume he knows a lot of what goes on in the prison. The story is told as if it is a first hand experience by a first person point of view. This makes the story feel as if it is a true and gritty event that occurred. Using Red as a narrator allows the reader to feel as if they know the majority of the story but they also have to imagine what else happened when Red doesn't know what happens. This technique is overall very effective and makes the plot appear real and less like fiction. If the author had used a third person omnipotent point of view
Characterization
The characters in the story are the most important part or the whole story. The narrator is a convict who killed his wife and a child but he doesn't feel like a bad person. Instead he feels as if he is just a normal person who is a key part of prison life. He feels like a more adult and experienced figure to the audience as he describes prison life. Another key and by far the most important character is Andy Dufresne. He is a man who is wrongfully convicted and knows it so he carries himself in a dignified way. He is an innocent man surrounded by convicts which sets him apart from the normal setting. He is a person who is dead set on his innocence and he will do anything to prove this to the people who can get him out. When they make it known that he wont be allowed to leave he returns to his plans and escapes using his extreme patience and his genius to escape.
Setting
Shawshank Prison is a great setting for this story because it gives the story a more realistic and historical setting. It is set back in 1947 and it spans around 27 years so it allows the audience to feel as if time is passing by referencing historical events. This use of historical references allow the reader to feel as if the world outside Shawshank is changing drastically but the people inside have not changed nearly as much. The prison isolates the inmates and makes them seem more timeless and also makes them still feel as if they are forced to be there and are exploited by the guards. They are forced to do hard labor in the prison and it is also a sign of their extremely tough situation in which they are in. It is a constant reminder to those who committed crimes that they are there for a reason. To Andy however, it is a sign of the injustice in which he is being forced into living with. The use of this setting has the full effect of a symbol and a way to convey time passing in the world.
Theme
The theme of this story is the injustice of the world and how people live with it. The story is filled with crooked officials, rapists, and convicts who try to get what they want with less than legal formats. Also it includes a man who is wrongfully accused with murder and is still forced to spend the rest of his life the prison he is sent to. He even proves his innocence to the Warden and he admits it, but still resolves to never let him go free. Instead he wanted to keep him as his financial wizard who helped him finance his money making schemes that were not legal. This recurring theme of injustice pushes the reader to the desire for even the smallest amount of justice. When Andy escapes and the Warden retires a broken man, the reader can feel a considerable amount of justice in which they feel at peace from the horrible situation Andy faced before. Overall the theme of injustice and earning justice through any means is extremely effective. It keeps the readers interested and gives them a good feeling when Andy finally receives the justice he so desperately deserves.
