The Shawshank Redemption- Angus Dally
Show how the director of The Shawshank Redemption uses recurring symbols as a device to reinforce ideas.
In the film The Shawshank Redemption, the director Frank Darabont uses a number of recurring symbols to reinforce ideas. The frequent shots of elements of the prison, the pin up girls in Andy’s cell, and the symbolic use of water all serve to build on the ideas on freedom, change, and deception presented in the film.
In the film there are very regular shots highlighting the atmosphere of the prison. At the beginning of the film, the brutality exhibited towards the inmates by Captain Hadley firmly establishes that Shawshank prison is an oppressive, evil place. There are many scenes showing Andy and others confined in their cells, behind bars, which highlights the way in which they are physically and symbolically imprisoned. The many shots …show more content…
When Andy first enters the prison, he washes himself with water, representing him letting go of his past life and transitioning to life in prison. For the rest of the movie, there are very few images of water at all, showing the monotonous tedium of prison life. When Andy escapes, when there is a huge thunderstorm, and upon leaving the prison, he stands dramatically in a cross-like pose, with the rain washing off the dirt from the pipe. Red said that “he crawled through five-hundred yards of shit and came out clean”, which is true both on a physical and symbolic level. Water in this case represents a cleansing of the damage caused by 25 years in prison. Throughout the movie, Red and Andy talk about escaping to a Mexican town by the Pacific Ocean. It is described as having no memory, and represents a final salvation from their barbarous treatment at Shawshank prison, and the psychological scars it has left. This ultimately shows the importance of leaving behind past wrongs in order to live life to the
Show how the director of The Shawshank Redemption uses recurring symbols as a device to reinforce ideas.
In the film The Shawshank Redemption, the director Frank Darabont uses a number of recurring symbols to reinforce ideas. The frequent shots of elements of the prison, the pin up girls in Andy’s cell, and the symbolic use of water all serve to build on the ideas on freedom, change, and deception presented in the film.
In the film there are very regular shots highlighting the atmosphere of the prison. At the beginning of the film, the brutality exhibited towards the inmates by Captain Hadley firmly establishes that Shawshank prison is an oppressive, evil place. There are many scenes showing Andy and others confined in their cells, behind bars, which highlights the way in which they are physically and symbolically imprisoned. The many shots …show more content…
When Andy first enters the prison, he washes himself with water, representing him letting go of his past life and transitioning to life in prison. For the rest of the movie, there are very few images of water at all, showing the monotonous tedium of prison life. When Andy escapes, when there is a huge thunderstorm, and upon leaving the prison, he stands dramatically in a cross-like pose, with the rain washing off the dirt from the pipe. Red said that “he crawled through five-hundred yards of shit and came out clean”, which is true both on a physical and symbolic level. Water in this case represents a cleansing of the damage caused by 25 years in prison. Throughout the movie, Red and Andy talk about escaping to a Mexican town by the Pacific Ocean. It is described as having no memory, and represents a final salvation from their barbarous treatment at Shawshank prison, and the psychological scars it has left. This ultimately shows the importance of leaving behind past wrongs in order to live life to the