The Shaw Shank Redemption

Fictitious Yet Touching

By Lynn A. Granata

It was a poignant subject matter depicted in the film the Shaw Shank Redemption.  The movie is well, let's not spoil it, about a non-existent prison in America.  However, there's a catch which I am going to slowly reveal to you, by not giving you the significance of what it is about.  Instead, I will list the facts in order of the story, as though it were true. Then leave the punchline for the conclusion.

The Shaw Shank Prison is located in rural Maine. Andy Dufresne is the story's protagonist.  It is 1947 Portland, Maine. Andy, a banker was wrongly accused and convicted for a crime he didn't commit.  He was sentenced to two concurrent life terms at the Shaw Shank Penitentiary. Andy was convicted of the murders of his wife and her lover. While he was incarcerated he met a friend called Ellis Redding. Ellis was also serving a life sentence for smuggling contraband.

Andy receives a rock hammer and a poster of the 1940's actress Rita Hayworth from his rock smuggling friend Redding.  In his prison cell, Andy starts picking a hole behind his prison cot with the poster cleverly concealing it. As time goes on, Andy earns small rewards for his good behavior. He gets a job in the prison laundromat.  Unfortunately, Andy's job there is short lived because Andy got assaulted and beaten by the ring leader of the Sister's Gang, Bogs.

The prison warden, Byron Hadley, then beats up Bogs in retaliation for mistreating Andy.  Andy becomes a favorite of the prison warden, Hadley. Because of his expertise in banking law the warden found Andy valuable. Andy gave free financial and legal advice to Hadley all of the time.  

Then Andy got promoted to work in the prison library.  Andy meets another warden, Samuel and becomes friends with an elderly inmate Brooks Hatlen. In 1954 Andy begins a writing campaign to the state government in hopes of procuring funding to fix up the deteriorating floors and ceilings in the prison library. 

Brooks Hatlen was released on parole after being incarcerated for 50 years.  Hatlen didn't adapt to life on the outside and committed suicide by hanging himself. 

The Marriage of Figaro was donated to the prison library. As time progressed another inmate joined the pack of prison buddies, Tommy Williams.  By this time we are up to 1965. Williams reveals the truth, that another prisoner where he was transferred from confessed that he killed Andy's wife and lover. 

So, Andy's small hole became a wide enough smoothed edged tunnel after 17 long years of constructing it.  Roll call time rolls around and Andy's absence is noticed. Guards rush into his cell and find the tunnel covered over by the old poster.  Andy freed himself and never was found.  He fled to a remote southern peninsula in Mexico. While in prison, Redding and Andy become like brothers. 

Once Redding was paroled in 1967, he went to the secret place where two years earlier, Andy left a package under an oak tree at a deserted field in Maine for Ellis to find after his upcoming release from the prison.  Redding got the note and money giving him information about how he could get in touch with Andy. Andy and Redding meet up in southern Mexico and the rest is well-history.

Conclusion

The truth is stranger than fiction. This was a smash hit box office film released in 1994. Today, it is available on DVD plus other forms of media. It made me cry when I watched it. 

"The true meaning of the story is that when put into a hopeless position in life, never lose hope. Work through things and fight, never lose self-worth."