Shawshank Redemption - Essay Example

In Shawshank Redemption, the major themes revolve around the power of intelligence, the power of friendship and the power of hope. In the movie, Shawshank redemption, one could appreciate how the power of intelligence becomes portrayed. The character Andy on arrival to Shawshank prison, asked his friend Red to help him procure a rock hammer, polishing cloth and a large poster of Rita Hayworth. Nobody actually knew the importance of these 3 things until one day when Andy made an escape to Mexico after boring a hole through the prison walls.

In addition, it is via Andy’s intelligence after helping the prison guard with family and financial issues while working at the prison’s license plate factory that he managed to secure a job as a person who did their paper work. Just from that simple act of intelligence, Andy managed to secure a status where he became protected from the notorious prison gang called Sisters that used to molest him. In addition, through his intelligence, he manages to secure a place as the prison’s librarian and expands it more in a century.

Through his association with the guards, he managed to do money laundering business ran by Norton. Andy therefore gained much reputation in prison and ultimately became the people’s hero as he escaped prison, leading to Norton giving up on the search and resigning. Intelligence has been demonstrated in many prison movies, for instance Prison Break. In Prison break for instance, the main character, Michael Scofield uses his wit in order to get his brother out of prison. Prison break is majorly a season that depicts how intelligence could be of great value in evading problematic situations.

The character Andy could be likened to Michael Scofield in Prison Break as both used intelligence to break out of prison. In relation to the theme, in my past experience, I have been saved a lot by depicting some act of intelligence and highly appreciate its use in real life. In Shawshank Redemption, power of friendship remains a theme that gets depicted entirely in the film. Andy on arrival at Shawshank made friends with Red. It is via the friendship that Andy managed to secure the very items that his used in plotting his escape.

Andy asked Red to secure for him a rock hammer, polishing cloth and a poster of Rita Hayworth. If not for being friends, Red would not have secured these items for Andy. In addition, Red always was present to talk and console Andy after being mishandled by the gang called Sisters. It is while working at the prison’s license plate factory, that Andy made a deal that saw his friends get 3 beers while working at that place. In addition, in gaining favor from the prison guards and Norton, Andy managed to have his friends protected too from the gangs that used to torment in mates.

As a sign and gratitude to true friendship, Andy had earlier on told Red about the money and the key in the mountain rocks near the prison that eventually led Reds to joining him in Mexico. Red on being released some few years after Andy’s escape, one day went to the area where he was told he would find a key, but got more than he had hoped for, a true friend asking Red to join him in Mexico. The movie ends with Red being overjoyed about meeting his prison and lifelong prison. In relation to Prison Break, Michael Scofield, cared and treated his brother as a