Themes of Hope and Redemption in Shawshank Redemption

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Introduction
The film, “Shawshank redemption”, was directed by Frank Darabont and the fundamental
themes used in the film were hope and redemption. It is an inspiring story about Andy Dufreine
and his capability to maintain hope in adverse situations. The director has used several effective
methods to display the signs of hope in adverse situations. It is stated that Andy used to maintain
the hope in difficult situations by diverting his attention to fruitful works. Andy used to help
people, which assisted him is remaining hopeful in his life (Grady, & Magistrale, 2016). There
are several subtle themes used in the movie, such as hope, redemption, and appreciating freedom.
Along with it, the director has also used several other approaches such as music and visual
display to support these themes. In this essence, the present essay will discuss different themes
used in the film to give the final message.
Major Themes Embedded in the Movie
The first theme used in the film is that of redemption or the possibility of freedom in extremely
adverse situations. It states that there is always possibility of redemption irrespective of the
person or the sin. This sentiment towards redemption indicates that it is always necessary to have
hope in all the situations. The film further elaborates that there are always chances of
redemption, however, it may be overlooked or not completely appreciated. Throughout the
movie, several probabilities were shown to move out of jail, which were later rejected. However,
Andy does not lose hope and makes endeavors to get released from the jail. The final release of
Andy was unexpected; however, shows his immense belief in himself, his willpower and God.
Spirituality is also a strong theme of the movie (King, 2017). According to the theme of the film,
Andy does not achieve redemption as his crime is not equitable for the sin that he has committed.