4
Doe
Jane Doe
Mrs. Miller
English 1123 RYAD
4 December 2017
Hope: “It Gives You Wings”
“Hope can live for as long as we're willing to dig” (Kaufman 2). This quote could not be
better exemplified (literally and metaphorically) than it is in Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and
the Shawshank Redemption and the film adaptation. Both highlight several different themes
through characters and their stories. However, the one theme that resonates the most is resilience.
This theme is highlighted in the character Andy and is later foreshadowed in another key
character, Red. When Andy is incarcerated for the murder of his wife and her lover and later
beaten and raped: his spirit remains unbroken. That is until he meets a new prisoner by the name
of Tommy, who reveals to Andy information about the possible real killer, which completely
shakes Andy’s calm and easy-going demeanor. When Warden Norton shows no interest in
helping Andy reopen his case it breaks his spirit and shatters his hope. That does not last long as
he formulated a plan to escape. He also has his friend, Red with him through it all. Red’s
outlook on hope and rehabilitation before he meets Andy is very uncertain and overall negative.
However, Andy shows Red that having hope is not a cruel enemy. Andy tells Red, “Remember
Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies” (Darabont).
Throughout Shawshank Redemption, Stephen King conveys to his audience the resilient quality
that Andy has and how the quality changes Red’s view on hope and rehabilitation.
The story begins with Andy on trial. While on trial Andy does not convey any emotion when describing his wife’s affair or that she was murdered. His emotionlessness left a negative impression on the jury. They did not understand how a man who lost his wife and would be going to jail could be so demur. A reader can see that Andy is very calculated and almost robotic-like. He is obviously a very private person, and when he arrives at Shawshank, he is no different.
Mentioned in both the novella and the movie, Andy has a knack for rocks and enjoys shaping them into figurines. He meets Red in the yard where he asks him if he can get him a rock hammer and rock blankets. This simple hobby helps Andy maintain a sense of normalcy, but “ . . . And...
