Shawshank

Plot

By having Red narrate the entire story and build up the story, the climax of Andy's escape had that much more meaning. The first sixty pages informed the audience of life inside the prison, which allowed the reader to relate to the prisoners on a whole new level. Before I read this novel, I had a preconceived notion that all criminals were guilty and that life inside the walls of a prison was terrible. However, Red's vivid description of every happening inside the walls (e.g. Andy's role in the library, his asking Red for the rock hammer and posters) allowed the reader to put the pieces of the puzzle together when Andy finally made his escape. The plot structure and climactic scene of Andy's escape forced the reader to cheer Andy on and smile at the fact that he finally escaped his own destiny. Without the vivid descriptions, the readers would have had the same feeling toward Andy as they do most other prisoners.

Point of View

King could not have picked a better P.O.V to portray this story from. Red did a phenominal job of setting the scene of the story. On page 33, his vivid description of Andy being raped by the sisters allows the sotry to become personal to the reader. We hear about the stories where a prisoner bent over to grab the soap bar and is raped. However, Red's description makes it real to the reader. King could very easily have told the story from Andy's perspective; however, the story would have lost the point of view of an outsider looking in. The element of shock would not have been there at the end when Andy is missing at role call. Instead, Red, along with the readers make the connections of every little detail that occured in the prison up until that point to the escape.

Characterization

King also does a phenominal job of developing the characters throughout the story. If Red would not have foccused on how Andy meant everything to the guards and the wardens because of his experience with taxes and legal documents, the reader would not have viewed him as anything different than a convict. However, because this side of Andy is revealed by Red, the audience looks at Andy as more of a civilian than a prisoner. Red develops his own character himself. He reveals small parts about himself throughout the entirety of the novel. The reader then regards him as an old sole who is content living in prison and is not going to upset the status quo. However, just like the revelation of Andy's break into the real world, Red's parole leaves the reader just as excited.

Setting

The obvious setting of the prison reveals a lot about the story as a whole. While most people look at a prison as a place where no one could ever picture themself, a rather hell hole that can't be overcomed, the reader realizes that the prison becomes more of a comfort zone that is a way of life. Red speaks of how prison really isn't that bad, you learn to only have to go to the bathroom every 25 minutes past the hour. Red also speaks of how prison is not that bad unless you find yourself in solitary. However, once Red is out on parole, he does not know what to do with himself while working at the grocery store. By having all the freedom, he reverts to his old ways of structure and does not know how to overcome the fear he has. This surprises the reader because one would think that a prisoner would rejoice when they got out, instead the sometimes are bewildered and do not know which direction to choose.

Theme

The overall theme of the story is not revealed until the end of the work. Some men like Red are content with Prison and accept the fact that is their destiny, and never try to bawk the system and stick to the status quo. Then there are men like Andy who seem content to be in prison from the outside, but deep down in are eager to get out and will do anything to make sure it happens. Red speaks of how rarely does anyone successfully escape from the prison. Andy is one of them. In life, it is the same way. Some people are content with the status quo, with their job, with their position on the basketball team, or with their financial status. However, their are the Andy's of the world who have a burning desire within them to take that risk. These people know there is a substantial risk involved with the decisions they are going to make. People don't make an excess of money by playing it safe with hopes of eventually getting a raise (or parole), they invest money and take the risk of failure. They own business knowing their is a risk of failure that could impact the intirety of their life. However, if done right, these actions can prove to be lucrative, and in Andy's case life ending. (death of his old identity)