World without words

The Hero’s Journey + Character design.

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is a perfect example of the significance and worth of the hero’s journey in film. The protagonist Andy Dufresne is persecuted for a crime he did not commit, the story depicts one mans rise to challenge, in the most dismal of environments. The film is concerned with Andy Dufresne within a spatial and temporal context, and how he will free himself from this expatriated state. The protagonist begins his journey plagued with feelings of guilt and self-loathing over the death of his late wife, twinned with the remorse and self-pity that has arisen from being falsely imprisoned as a result. Whilst inside this insipid prison, Shawshank, Dufresne’s journey takes a turn for the better when he meets Red, an intelligent and well-informed inmate who unreservedly helps him on his way. Dufresne is placed in numerous unpleasant scenarios, for example, ‘The Sisters’ who regularly attack Dufresne to begin with. The protagonist applies whit and cunning, features often associated with the hero in film, to overcome them. Then the hero becomes subject to a grander journey than we first anticipated, once his skills are acknowledged, he is asked to deal with Byron Hadley and other guards’ tax papers, as a result he earns privileges void from his fellow inmates. The newly awarded entitlements lead him to establish a library within Shawshank, which not only helped educate fellow inmates but also gave a select few purpose, for example Brooks, which instills hope to all. So far, we see Dufresne surviving, strategizing and making the most of his unfortunate situation; the hero in this film has improved life for those close to him and around him in Shawshank. However, we proceed to find out that this is not all our hero, the protagonist hopes to achieve. Red, Dufresne’s closest companion in Shawshank is to be released after much unfair dismissal in his past. The two have an inspiring conversation, and following this Andy Dufresne seems to have disappeared. The audience are later aware that he has spent years digging away at the wall in his cell and has escaped. Our hero, Andy Dufresne goes to where Red has told him and found the gift left for him in the event he would escape or be let free. The notion of hope portrayed throughout the film then concludes when we see Dufresne strolling along a beach, free, toward his beloved friend, Red.

Character Design- What does the character look like? What does the character do? How does the character relate to other characters, to the events of the story?

Actor Tim Robbins portrays Andy Dufresne’s character. He is a rather tall, sophisticated looking man. Not the typical prisoner, which adds to the overall feeling of distress from his arrest and stay in Shawshank. He is initially a smartly dressed man, who would not look out of place in a suite, however, prison life extracts this quality from him and we see him for the most part in prisoner’s overalls. The character of Andy Dufresne represents hope and development; he instigates education in the Prison and helps others including the personal education of inmate ‘Tommy’. He is an intelligent character, liked by most who are acquainted with him. This again strengthens the feeling of discomfort at his situation. He is portrayed as polite, law-abiding but stunningly cunning and quick witted which helps him ‘use the system’ in getting a better quality of life for him and his friends in Shawshank prison. He interacts with all kinds of people successfully throughout the film, turning from Government officials, to cruel guards and finally the common inmate, a category in which most of his friends fall into. This educated man knows how to communicate with all these people from different social, moral and racial backgrounds, this adds to the heroic persona of Andy Dufresne.