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  • Essay / A sense of hope in "Shawshank Redemption"

    The only motivating factor for a Shawshank prisoner is hope. For convicted murderers, the hope of being freed through the legal process is virtually non-existent, at least within a time frame that matters to them. However, despite the brutal facts of prison life, Red and Andy develop a sense of hope that cannot be taken lightly, and by the end of the novella, both have received what they truly desire. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayRedRed is an interesting character. At the beginning of the novel, he declares that he is a murderer and has no idea what the word rehabilitation means. However, he also states that if given a second chance, he would not commit the crime again. He has been sentenced to life in prison three times and therefore has no hope of getting out of prison. However, he still sees the beauty in life and always hopes to create a better life for himself than the one he currently has. “Looking at them, I felt the warmth that any man or woman feels when looking at something pretty, something that has been worked on and made.” (King 40) As Red sees the hard work Andy has put into his chess pieces, he feels a sense of hope. He recognizes that beauty can flourish in the worst circumstances, even in the very prison where he lives. If Andy can create something so creative from objects as simple as garden stones, then Red must believe that anything is possible. At this point, he is not hoping for escape or redemption, but simply enjoying the life he has created for himself. in 1938 and I went out to the exercise yard." (King 47) In this quote, Red looks back on his past up to the time of his arrival. We can deduce that at that time, he did not had almost no hope, as he was just one of many prisoners who found themselves in the exact same situation. However, in this moment, his heart lifts for a new reason. He sees the power that Andy has over the. guards, even though he has no weapons or secrets This fact gives a kind of humorous hope in Red, because even though the guards were clearly superior in every way, Andy still had the advantage over them. opened the envelope and read the letter, then I put my head in my arm and cried (King 106) When Red reads Andy's letter, he feels an extreme feeling of hope and. of desire Unlike the character that developed at the beginning, Red now feels a new type of hope, that of leaving Shawshank and joining the world again This last quote recognizes that Red has truly gained hope; meet his friend, see what Andy has been talking about for years and start his new life as a free man. It is this renewed hope that will guide Red on his next journey, of rediscovery and redemption.AndyUnlike Red, Andy has always had a different type of hope. Whether he was guilty or not, Andy did not act, speak or look like a murderer. Andy hoped for redemption, either for the crime he committed or the one he didn't commit. for another endless night – this flat-footed, humped-shouldered walk. (King 73)In prison, your state of mind will radically change. A tedious life can turn a living man into a boring, lifeless creature who lives from day to day. It wasn't Andy. As Red says, Andy never relapsed into that common state. He never developed the gait of a prisoner, like most of the others. He was always optimistic and hoped that his day of redemption would come. “When I get out of here,” Andy said finally, “I’m going somewhere where it’s warm all the time.” He spoke with such calm assurance that one would have thought he”.