Narrative Structure
Most commercial films – “classic Hollywood” type - are similar in structure to a three-act play. Each act is
structured to end on a moment of heightened tension or interest – a ‘plot point’ or ‘turning point’ that will
change the direction of the story.

The first act introduces the main characters and situation, and ends with a scene that sets up a
complication around which the plot will revolve – plot point 1 - that disrupts the equilibrium of the
original situation.

The second act develops this complication. The ‘mid-point’ scene is a central incident that packs a
dramatic punch and kicks the action to a higher level.

The third act brings the situation to a climax and resolution.
i.e. – get the hero up a tree, throw things at him, and then get him down from the tree.
Act I
Act II
Act III
First Half
Second Half
Andy settles in
Andy earns privileges
Brooks' story
Tommy arrives:
Andy is innocent
Escape and redemption
Confrontation
Dramatic action
Confrontation
Confrontation
Andy v Governor
Governor v the law
Red v his fears
Andy v. the sisters
Andy makes changes
Brooks v freedom
mid-point
aria scene
plot point 1
plot point 2
tax solution on roof
shooting of Tommy
set-up
confrontation
resolution
Act I:
From the start until the scene on the roof; establishes characters, setting, situation.
Quite long and unusual in that the set-up also involves major confrontation, though not
with the main antagonists.
Plot point 1:
Ch. 7: Andy offers to sort out Hadley's tax problem. His situation in the prison changes
as a result.
Act II:
Andy is moved to the library, and becomes the tax expert. [Unknown to us, he is also
planning for and preparing his breakout. Ch. 8]
A dramatic
midpoint scene
Andy plays the aria and is thrown into the hole. Hadley: "You're mine now." Indicates
another shift in relationships.
Act II, Part 2:
He continues to work for the governor; he teaches Tommy.
Plot Point 2:
Tommy is shot; Andy seems to be at his lowest ebb, with all hope gone. Particularly
poignant now we know he is indeed innocent.
Act III:
Andy's plans are brought to fruition. The escape is the climax of his story, but there is
a long 'dénouement' as Red's story is concluded.
An inciting incident in Act 1 that starts the story going? Andy's arrival at Shawshank
The story of Brooks is a subplot.
Red's story is more of a counter melody than a sub-plot, since he does not do anything. He provides an
observer and narrator, and a kind of 'control' (as in an experiment) against whom Andy can be measured.
29
Arrival of Andy at Shawshank – Answer Guide

In the left hand column are features of this short scene. In the right, fill in the effect of each of the
listed features.
1. Camera moves
Feeling of action, a momentous period in Andy’s life
2. Andy is in front
He is the main character
3. Same level
He is still one of the ordinary citizens
4. Grey walls to the right
Impending, miserable influence on Andy
5. Andy looks up
Anticipation of what lies ahead and creates suspense, for we
do not know what he is looking at.
6. Suspenseful strings and woodwinds
Creates expectation of something important to come
7. Low angle shot becoming vertical shot,
moving, of prison gateway,
emphasising massive grey blocks
Stresses the awesomeness of the prison institution, its
overbearing weight, how unstoppable it is and how it encloses
you. It is a symbol of the institution.
8. Black screen
Stark contrast to the life before. Emphasises the blankness of
the life to come
9. Yellow line
Symbolic of the closely regulated movements of prison life
10. Walking feet sound
Stresses how the men are shepherded by their superiors, how
they are forced into a pattern of behaviour dictated by more
powerful beings. The sound of walking feet evokes
militarism, when people obey orders and blindly are led to
their miserable fate.
11. Line of prisoners
Again evokes regulation
12. Side shot of Sergeant Hadley
Creates anticipation and sense of being ordered
13. Over-the-shoulder shot of Norton and
Hadley
Emphasises the two are the power in the place, together, and
again creates suspense
14. Low angle shot of Norton, in the
shadows
Stresses his power and the coming out of the darkness creates
a sense of sinister foreboding
30
Red's Reunion with Andy – Answer Guide

Explain why the actors are positioned where they are and explain the sound effects.
1
Helicopter shot
advancing over and
close to the blue waves.
The diving helicopter shot of the sea is uplifting because we are as free as a
bird and we have not seen blue before. In marked contrast to the black and
grey that have suffused the scenery beforehand. Before, it has always been
iron bars hemming in people’s horizons; now, the sky’s the limit.
2
Voice-over of Red: “I
hope.”
Red’s “hope” speech emphasises the anticipation he has experienced ever
since he threw off the shackles of prison.
3
Light, happy strings and
woodwind
The happier music reflects the lifting of spirits of the actors, now that a long
promised reunion has come about.
4
Distant shot of Red,
barefoot advancing,
prow on the right
The distant shot of Red advancing on the boat repairer, from aloft, shows how
insignificant he really is. It may be an epic for him, but in the wider context,
his is only a minor tale. The bare feet stress how long he has toiled for this
moment and as he trudges through the sand, what immense effort it has all
been.
5
Tracking shot to reveal
up to midway along the
boat, still looking at
Red
The tracking along the boat reveals how the vessel brings them together and
will combine their forces as they make a living from it in the future. It is also
a convenient device to move along to bring the two together.
6
Low angle shot of Andy
kneeling and sanding
the deck
The low angle shot of Andy beavering away at his boat shows how he has
been true to his word, working on an old vessel to use for tourists. The angle
stresses his strength
7
He senses someone is
there, pauses and looks
at Red
His movements towards Red are natural: it would be right for a lone boat
repairer to be absorbed with his work but sense that someone was near as Red
approached
8
He stands up, then
jumps down
Entirely natural. No longer are his movements controlled by the prison
system
9
Casual dress, open
necked shirt
The dress again is in marked contrast to institutional uniform and parallels the
heat
10 Andy smiles
The two are re-united again and happiness suffuses his face
11 Distance shot, receding,
as Red and Andy come
together
Hugging and embraces are the only reactions in this warm scene
12 The two embrace,
helicopter rises far
above and fades to them
hugging
The lifting camera to leave the pair as a dwindling, small couple is a delicate
method of leaving them to a privacy to recall old times over and over again
and to catch up on all the events that have happened since Andy’s escape. It
is also a convenient way of terminating the story.
13 Music changes to drum
and trumpet song.
The triumphant background sound echoes the sense of uplift in our and the
characters’ souls.
31
Who’s Who? - Answer Guide
To familiarise yourself with the characters in the film, answer the following questions. Some characters
appear more than once.

Name the following characters.
1
The fictitious silent partner whom Andy creates in Norton’s financial deals whose existence
would foil any police examination.
2
Who has an arrogant swagger, wears black side-burns and arrives at Shawshank to the
accompaniment of rock and roll music, who has a wife and a baby girl and wants to learn
how to read?
3
The star of the 1946 film Gilda, whose toss of her hair throws the inmates watching the film
into ecstatic excitement.
4
He almost throws Andy off the licence plate factory roof when Andy asks him if he trusts
his wife.
5
An old inmate who is very lonely, runs the prison library, delivers books to the cells, brings
a pet crow into the refectory for titbits, almost kills Heywood and finally hangs himself from
the ceiling of his lodgings when on the outside because he cannot handle being free.
6
What is the name of his pet crow?
7
The golf professional who was having an affair with Andy’s wife.
8
Which star covers the whole in the wall when Andy finally makes his escape?
9
Who tells Red that he does not need to ask permission to piss?

Randall Stevens
Tommy Williams
Rita Hayworth
Captain Hadley
Brooks
Jake
Glenn Quentin
Raquel Welch
Supermarket
manager
Who says the following? Give the context in which they say it.
10 Andy crawled to freedom through 500 yards of shit-smelling foulness I
can’t even imagine.
11 I was thinking about maybe setting up some sort of trust fund for my
kids’ educations.
12 Hey, anybody come at you yet? Anybody get to you yet? I could be a
friend to you. … Hard to get. I like that.
13 I am the light of the world. He that follows me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life.
14 I know a couple of big old bull queers that’d just love to make your
acquaintance, especially that big white mushy butt of yours!
15 God, I don’t belong here! I wanna go home! I want my mum!
16 I could see why some of the boys took him for snobby. He had a quiet
way about him, a walk and a talk that just wasn’t normal around here.
He strolled like a man in a park without a care or a worry in the world.
Like he had an invisible coat that would shield him from this place.
17 You eat when we say you eat. You shit when we say you shit. And you
piss when we say you piss!
18 Yes sir. Absolutely sir. Yeah, I’ve learned my lesson. I can honestly
say that I’m a changed man. I’m no longer a danger to society. That’s
the God’s honest truth.
19 You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man. It chills my
blood just to look at you.
20 Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no
good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you and finds
you well.
32
Red in V.O., describing Andy's escape.
Dekins, just after Andy has been
transferred form the laundry to the
library; this starts Andy off on his new
career.
Bogs Diamond, in the showers on
Andy's first morning.
Norton, to Andy in his cell, quoting St
John 8.12
Heywood taunts Chubby Fat Ass on his
first night; the man breaks, is beaten by
Hadley and dies.
Chubby Fat Ass can't cope with his
first night in prison.
Red, about Andy, when he had been in
Shawshank about two months
Hadley to the new prisoners when they
first arrive – Andy's first day.
Red to the Parole Board in 1947 that
rejects his application.
the Trial Judge to Andy when he is
sentenced.
Andy's voice from outside the prison,
in the letter he leaves for Red.
Characterisation of Andy – Answer Guide

Match the personality traits with the incidents or quotations that suggest them.
1.
He chips away at his concrete prison cell wall
over a period of 17 years.
Demonstrates the man’s remarkable persistence.
2.
A poster of Rita Hayworth conceals the hole in
the wall.
Shows how astute he is for he knows that everyone will assume
that the picture covers a plain, blank wall. It is the last place the
guards will look.
3.
At the start, he is seen fingering a gun and
bullets in a car outside the lovers’ cabin.
Indicates murderous intent. He is a very dangerous man, given
his other characteristics. But the rejection of murder shows a
deep-thinking brain and compassion, plus, perhaps, a realisation
of disastrous personal consequences, should he go ahead.
4.
The bottle of spirits he is drinking in the car.
Suggests he an alcoholic, perhaps, but more likely, a dependence
on props to bolster a flagging confidence and resist depression.
He shows his weakness here, his normality as a fragile human
being. It helps paint him as a rounded character, when many
other features tend to make him out as superhuman.
5.
The shattering of the bottle.
The shattering bottle is probably a consequence of his inebriated
state, of carelessness.
6.
“Since I am innocent of the crime, sir, I find it
decidedly inconvenient that the gun was never
found.”
The remarks to the judge reveal his calmness, sophistication and
eloquence. He is clearly a very well educated man, self-assured,
highly intelligent and linguistically gifted.
7.
“You strike me as a particularly icy and
remorseless man. It chills my blood just to
look at you.”
The judge’s observations about him expose him as cold, distant –
distinctly to be avoided.
8.
Andy closes his eyes when the judge sentences
him to two life sentences, back to back.
Depression, fatalism and resignation show in the closing of the
eyes on hearing his sentence.
9.
“that tall drink-a-water with the silver spoon up
his arse.”
Red’s first impression of Andy is of a privileged individual.
10. “I didn’t think much of Andy the first time I set
eyes on him. Looked like a stiff breeze would
blow him over. That was my first impression.”
Then, when he observes that it looks as if a stiff breeze would
blow him over, he sees Andy as fragile, non-athletic, delicate and
weak.
11. Andy sits in his cell on the first night rotating a
ball in his hand.
Andy is shown as meditative and deep thinking.
12. “His first night in the joint, Andy Dufresne cost
me two packets of cigarettes. He never made a
sound.”
Making no sound on his first night, when many moaned, tell us
and Red that Andy has unusual self-control, is quiet, interiorises
everything and is deep-thinking.
13. The way he reacts to finding a maggot in his
porridge.
Further strengthens our impression of a man in tight control of his
emotions.
14. “What was his name?” asks Andy of Chubby
Fat Ass, whom Hadley kicked to death.
Demonstrates a humanity and compassion in Andy.
15. “Andy kept pretty much to himself at first. It
wasn’t until a month went by that he finally
opened his mouth to say more than two words
to somebody.”
Andy is a reserved, detached, very private person.
16. “I have no enemies here,” says Andy to Red of
Shawshank Prison.
Suggests an extremely naïve man. It illustrates the fact that he
has probably had a sheltered existence and has never mixed with
the criminal class.
17. Andy laughs when Red thinks Andy will use a
rock hammer to escape. “You’ll understand
when you see the rock hammer.”
Red thinks a rock hammer is a normal tool, capable of making a
hole in concrete. But in telling Red to wait until he sees it and
realises that it is very small, Andy is revealing a sense of the
comic. There is a deep awareness of the comedy of existence.
33
18. “I could see why some of the boys took him for
snobby. He had a quiet way about him, a walk
and a talk that just wasn’t normal around here.
He strolled like a man in a park without a care
or a worry in the world.”
“A walk and a talk that just wasn’t normal around here” makes
the men consider him snobby, but it isn’t that at all. He is just
very different. He is distant, non-communicative, reserved and
independent.
19. “Every so often, Andy would turn up with
fresh bruises. The sisters kept at him. He
never said who did it.”
The fresh bruises prove how long-suffering he is and also that he
is very strong.
20. Andy’s suggestion to Hadley that he will be
able to keep his brother’s money if he trusts his
wife.
The amazing “Do you trust your wife?” remark to Hadley not
only reveals Andy’s naïveté, but also his boldness, bravery and
ability to take the initiative.
21. His lack of resistance when Hadley threatens to
throw him off the roof.
His courage and stoicism are revealed by his non-resistance to
Hadley’s threat to throw him off the roof.
22. “I’d only ask three beers a piece for each of my
co-workers.”
The three beers for all his co-workers demonstrates a clever
awareness of how this will make him friends; it also shows that he
thinks of others, rather than of himself and has a generous nature.
23. He sits, smiling, on his own, while his mates
enjoy their beers.
Sitting on his own and smiling not only reveals his detachment,
but his happiness in having turned an important corner in his
relations with the prisoners and the guards. Giving up alcohol
exhibits stoic, self-discipline. He has steel armour on.
24. He says he’ll teach Red how to play chess even
though Red says he hates the game.
The determination to teach Red chess, even though Red says he
hates the game, discloses to us that Andy is helpful as well as
determined.
25. He tells Red that he will use the rock hammer
to carve the chess pieces himself.
This is deceitful. He will not confess to his closest friend even,
the real purpose of the tool. This shows how Andy keeps himself
to himself when he wants to – to protect Red? or simply to
minimise any risk of discovery? It seems that nothing will ever
break him. Is he unreal?
26. Andy warning Bogs of the reflexes in the teeth
if Bogs puts his penis in Andy’s mouth.
An astute way of avoiding the worst of the bestiality. Andy
Dufresne is a very clever man.
27. The accurate quotations and Biblical references
he gives Warden Norton.
The Biblical references make Andy out as having an amazing
memory, a religious up-bringing, a scholarly nature and a
knowledgeable background.
28. His repeated requests and letters to the State
Senate, asking for more funds for the library.
The repeated written letters to the State Legislature demanding
funds for the library expose his unusual determination and
persistence, plus a boldness remarkable its audacity. He’s a man
in a million.
29. His completion of tax returns for the guards
and Norton.
His financial wizardry and dedication are shown by the tax
returns.
30. Playing Mozart over the public address system.
The Mozart broadcast exposes a refined side to Andy we have not
seen yet. It also confirms our knowledge of his effrontery and
devil-may-care attitude.
31. “That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get
that from you.”
He is philosophical, and able to live within his head.
32. “I’m done. Everything stops. Get someone
else to run your scams.”
“Get someone else to do your scams!” expresses defiance and
anger – and frustration, given that he has seen how ruthless they
can be.
33. His desire to live the rest of his life in a little
seaside place in Mexico, running a tourist boat.
Escapism. A romantic. Andy lives in a dream world. He’s
realistic in knowing he won’t be able to live in the USA
afterwards. This also shows he’s tired of finance and wants a
break.
34. Andy confesses that he did kill his wife
because he had driven her away from him with
coldness. Though someone else killed his wife,
he deserves to do time.
“I just didn’t know how to show it (love to his wife)” confirms
our knowledge of the man as finding it hard to reveal his
emotions. He’s unemotional, introspective and flagellates
himself. He tortures his mind with regret.
34
35. “My wife used to say I’m a hard man to know.
Like a closed book. God, I loved her. I just
didn’t know how to show it, that’s all. I killed
her, Red. I didn’t pull the trigger, but I drove
her away and that’s why she died-because of
me, the way I am.”
Highly intelligent and introspective. Carries guilt, which may
expose a religious background – though no suggestion of this is
made.
36. “Promise me Red, if you ever get out, find that
spot. In the base of that wall you’ll find a rock
that has no earthly business in a Maine
hayfield. A piece of black, volcanic glass.
There’s something buried under it I want you to
have.”
The obsidian plan must tell us how far-sighted he is. The
preparations have been very meticulously made.
37. His arms stretch heavenward in the rain after
his escape.
Stretching his arms heavenward on coming out of the sewage pipe
may reveal a deep religious sense, but it also expresses immense
relief and gratitude for his success. He is deep feeling. An
immense burden has been taken off his shoulders.
Personality Traits
Some of these personality traits will fit more than one incident.

If you don't understand what any of these words mean, look them up!

Most of them are adjectives, but some are abstract nouns. When you write them in the table, write 'a' if
it is an adjective, or 'n' if an abstract noun.

Don't settle just for matching up the word; explain the situation as well.

careless

financial wizard *

fragile

empathy with others*

self-denigration

reliance on alcohol*

far sighted planner *

stoic


helpful

bold

independent

sense of the comic*

inexpressive


introspective

long-suffering

naïveté

quiet
n
n

philosophical.

unemotional
privileged

happy

scholarly

clever

eloquent

deep feelings*
deceitful

murderous

musical

private

fatalistic

furious

astuteness

perseverance
n

distant

escapist

selflessness
n

determination

religious

despairing

calculating
n
n
n
n
* noun phrases

You are now in a position to write about Andy’s characteristics. Remember to support assertions on
personality with incidents and/or quotations that bear them out.
Quite a different question is how the director, actor and crew portray Andy’s personality.
35
n
n
Characterisation of Andy 2 – Answer Guide
A range of techniques is employed to fill out the person who is Andy. Some are listed below.

Suggest what each of them is telling us about Andy.
There is no one, definitive answer for each and there is a myriad of ways of expressing responses, so discussion
with your teacher afterwards is advisable.
1.
We first see Andy
Dufresne in a car.
The car symbolises the constraints placed upon him: he is hemmed in by his circumstances
of an unfaithful wife, her lover and his guilt complex that he is responsible for her
infidelity, never having been able to express his love for her. The black colour of the car
merely reinforces his morbidity. So the car is a metaphor for persecution of the mind and
negative circumstances impinging on his life. The framing of him by the window
accentuates this first impression
2.
It is night and the light
is weak.
It is very hard to distinguish Andy in the faint light: this must clearly (!) mirror his dark
thoughts – the dim, misty, cryptic depths of his agonised self torture of conscience. He is,
after all, musing on the murder of his wife and her toy boy, the destruction of his marriage,
the collapse of his dreams.
3.
He is clumsily trying
to put bullets into his
gun.
The clumsiness reflects his conflicting thoughts, as well as his drunken state: should he
commit murder or walk away from it? So his mind is not really focussed (!) on loading the
pistol.
4.
A bottle of bourbon is
swigged twice.
Clearly, the man is not invincible, though the film portrays him as steely tough. Interesting
here is a comparison with Warden Norton, also portrayed as an iron man. Both have their
Achilles’ heels. Here, the whisky is a prop to support his weakened emotions.
5.
The Inkspots croon “If
I didn’t care.”
If you examine the lyrics of the Inkspots’ number, (see synopsis), it suggests that Andy’s
head is going “round and round,” agonising over whether to kill his wife and Glenn. Does
he care enough about her to want her to live? “If I didn’t care, would I feel this way?” So
he is a man who finds reaching decisions tortuous, who has a conscience, an acute
awareness of what is right and wrong.
6.
The gun and bullets are
wrapped in a cloth.
The care of the gun shows his meticulousness.
7.
The camera slowly
PANS from the cabin
to Andy and ZOOMS
into him from a high
angle through the car
door.
The camera movement clearly establishes linkage between the two, the focus of his mind:
murder. He is prepared to go to any lengths to achieve his purpose. He is single minded.
The eventual focus on his face in the car establishes him as the main personage in the film,
the instigator of the action. He is not one to let things drift – he is the sort of person who
moves mountains. No wonder he has risen to be Vice-President of a bank at such a young
age. So camera and angles position him as a leader.
8.
The next shot of Andy
is low angle.
The low angle cements what has just been said about his power
9.
Then the camera lifts
to eye level.
10.
As he stumbles from
the car, the bourbon
bottle smashes onto the
driveway.
Emphasises his dominance again.
Apart from stressing his drunkenness, and hence his inability to control his emotions
completely, it reveals a side to his character that we never see again, his carelessness. It is
a fine counterpoint to his otherwise impeccable organizational ability, and thus makes him
a rounded character and hence more believable. We can understand, if not forgive, his
weaknesses here, given the immense psychological pressure he is under.
Andy's abstinence from alcohol in prison is because when under the influence outside, he
came close to murder, so wishes to avoid any future possible mistake
11.
The car is a mid1940’s model.
The car and suit position Andy in 1947, rooting him in the post-war American scene.
12.
His suit - seen more
clearly in court - is of
the same era.
The car and suit position Andy in 1947, rooting him in the post-war American scene.
36
13.
His gait is unsteady.
The wobbling walk reinforces our impression of a man in a vortex of emotional distress
and symbolically represents his cerebral dilemma. He’s wavering in his intent to kill.
14.
His tie is loose, collar
undone, clothes
dishevelled.
Quite unlike Andy in court, life or prison: he’s totally disorganized here.
15.
Tim Robbins's face has
a deep forehead, his
lips are set tight, his
eyes unblinking,
remain fixed distantly.
16.
In court, his words
come measured after
slight pauses to the
prosecuting counsel’s
questions.
Here is a man who thinks hard and deep, a measured, careful, calculating tactician, an
impression added to by the words he replies to the accusing barbs of the prosecutor: “Since
I am innocent of the crime, sir, I find it decidedly inconvenient that the gun was never
found.” He is confident, self-assured, unflappable, bold.
17.
His head moves but
little.
The steady head adds to this sense of a man very much in control of himself. A clever
move, this, of the director, providing sharp contrast with our previous meeting with Andy
stumbling from the car. So we are prepared for the later despair when we see him in
solitary confinement after the opera stunt. He can waver from hopelessness to set resolve.
18.
His diction is clear and
precise.
The precise diction suggests that he has had an outstanding New England education as well
as possessing a razor-sharp mind. His school must have been the American equivalent of
Eton.
19.
The hair is carefully
groomed.
The neat hair indicates discipline, an organized personality, a man unswerving from his set
path as well, of course, as reflecting fashion, his home background and the culture of the
U.S. banking profession.
20.
Colours of his suit are
restrained, not bright
and his skin has a pale
wash.
These perhaps lead the judge to call him “icy.” There is an inner deadliness about Andy
that Red comments upon during the licence plate factory roof beer party, remarking how he
detaches himself from the rest and how he resisted Hadley’s threats to throw him to his
death.
The facial features here are vital to developing an insight into Andy and are testimony to
Tim Robbins’ acting ability. The still, penetrating eyes express determination, the high
forehead his intelligence and the sealed lips trustworthiness, grit and resolve.
Many of the remarks above are speculative and conjectural. But you are allowed to speculate thus, as long as your
deductions are reasonably based on solid evidence, well supported.
I well remember inviting along to one of my junior classes Owen Marshall, a renowned New Zealand short story
writer. One boy asked him if the hurling of eggs taken out of the refrigerator by Mrs Ransumeen in "The Day
Hemingway died" (an image repeated in Once Were Warriors when Beth, in a rage, hurls eggs onto the floor of the
kitchen, demanding that her useless husband, Jake, do some work around the place, rather than booze his life away and
wake up to the world of feminine emancipation.) symbolised the death of unborn life within her. In other words,
represented the fact that her own life, with all its wonderful potential, had been killed because she was locked in a oneway street of pathetic uselessness and meaninglessness. Owen's eyes brightened, for here was a perceptive intellect in a
boy so young (13). "No," he replied, "that is not what I had in mind. I chose eggs because that is what the hands would
first seize upon when opening the door of the fridge. They just happen, by accident, to be closest to hand in the physical
situation of pulling the door open. But your observation is quite justifiable. What did you see in the image?"
The boy replied, "Well, sir, I saw the eggs dribbling down the wall of the kitchen in a hideous, foul, repulsive
picture of how she saw the hideousness, foulness and repulsiveness of her own inadequate self image of her own life with
her pathetic husband. How she was locked in an unfulfilled marriage and tortured herself for having put herself in that
situation." " Brilliant, my lad," rejoined Owen, "Quite brilliant. You are quite justified in seeing symbolism in an image
that is relevant to the context. It never occurred to me, even though I wrote it!"
So feel free to milk images of all their potential.
So the main ingredients of Andy's personality have been delineated in the first few minutes of meeting him - always a
most important phase in character build-up. Nothing we witness later on detracts from the initial assessment; it merely
reinforces it. We see a clever, calculating individual of resolve and courage, prone to depression when under severe
pressure, but strong enough to rise above the stress. His successful plan and break-out are foreshadowed by the mindset
of murderous resolve, and the despair in solitary is foreshadowed by the drunken wavering beside the car. Even his
falling into the sphere of Red's influence and the deep bond that emerges between the two is foreshadowed by his
marriage.
37
Themes and Quotations - Answer Guide

Below are some quotations or incidents, which illustrate certain lessons. Identify such themes.
Possible match-ups suggested – there are sure to be other answers.
1.
“I’ll see you in Hell before I see you in Reno!”

Dangers of impetuousness, of saying or doing things in the heat of the moment without thinking
through the consequences.
2.
“I hereby order you to serve two life sentences back to back.”

Miscarriage of justice. The law occasionally convicts the wrong person.
3.
“I’m up for rejection next week.”

Levity, making light and fun if something serious in order to cope.

Hardening, becoming inured by suffering. Also 12, 15
4.
“Chubby Fat-Ass.”

Nicknaming illustrates inmates’ way of making fun in a horrid situation.
5.
“You eat when we say you eat. You shit when we say you shit.”

Institutionalisation: one becomes inured to a system’s regulations and finds it hard to break free and
organize oneself. Also 27, 26, 42, 50
6.
“A whole life blown away in the blink of an eye.”

Irrevocability, the finality of certain actions.
7.
“I know a couple of big old bull queers that’d just love to make your acquaintance.”

Foulness, bestiality, the cruelty man can inflict on man. Also 9, 16
8.
“I wanna go home. I don’t belong here.”

Homesickness, love of home and mother survives even into adulthood; called on in moments of great
stress.
9.
“If I hear so much as a mouse fart the rest of the night, I swear by God and sonny Jesus you’ll all visit
the infirmary.”

Guards are as foul and bestial as the criminals.
10.
“His first night in the joint, Andy Dufresne cost me two packets of cigarettes. He never made a
sound.”

Respect built on experience. Also 21, 22
11.
Brooks asks for the maggot Andy found in his porridge.

Misinterpretation of events and scenes, the failure to see the real import. Also 14, 17, 45, 46
12.

13.
“It doesn’t fucking matter what his name was. He’s dead.”
Hardening, becoming inured by suffering.
“I wonder if you might get me a rock hammer.”

Business, the need to occupy oneself in a boring situation, to take one’s mind off it.
14.
“I could see why some of the boys took him for snobby. He had a walk and a talk that just wasn’t
normal around here.”

Revelation given by clothes and gait to character.
15.
Andy is the only inmate to say thanks to Brooks for the books.

Hardening, becoming inured by suffering.
38
16.

17.

18.
“Every so often, Andy would turn up with fresh bruises.”
Foulness, bestiality, the cruelty man can inflict on man.
“Mr Hadley, do you trust your wife?”
Misinterpretation of events and scenes, the failure to see the real import.
“I’d only ask three beers a piece for each of my co-workers.”

Mateship. Any situation which binds people closely together, such as a school, the forces, an accident
or prison, especially when there is danger to life, pushes folk close together and results in a lifetime’s
friendship.
19.
“Only guilty man in Shawshank.”

Criminals don't accept their guilt; they cover up, play innocent.
20.
Andy warns Bogs of the reflex motion if Bogs puts his penis in Andy’s mouth.

The power of education, of reading. Andy says he learned this in books. It doesn't save him from a
beating, though.
21.
Hadley beats up Bogs so severely that he spends the rest of his life drinking his meals through a straw.

Brutality; the abuse of power. Hadley considers he is above the law.
22.
The prisoners welcome Andy back with Rita and rocks after his spell in the infirmary.

Respect built on experience.

Mateship
23.
“I hear you’re good with numbers.”

Specialization, people are slotted into the tasks they are best fitted to.
24.
Dekins asks Andy to set up a trust fund for his sons’ education.

Something for nothing – he could have paid a lawyer to do it. OR – the high cost of legal advice in
US??
25.
Andy writes to the State Senate every week asking for money for books.

Determination. Also 47, 48.
26.
Brooks holds a knife to Heywood’s throat when the guard comes to farewell him.

Institutionalisation.
27.
Brooks hangs himself.

Institutionalisation
28.
Wiley sits on the toilet reading the Jughead comic.

Childishness, some people never grow up.
29.
“I tell you, those voices soared….and for the briefest of moments, every last man at Shawshank felt
free”

Music, its power to transform situations. Also 30
30.

31.
“Here’s where it makes most sense.” Music they cannot get to. It symbolises hope.
Hope, the power of positive thinking. Also 43, 44, 51
“Lost interest in it though.” Here “it didn’t seem to make sense.”

Fatalism. Also 44, 45
32.
Andy made book bargains with charity groups, book clubs…

Ingenuity, there’s always a way out if one thinks hard enough. Also 37
39
33.
“Underbid any contractor in town” using “slave labour” but Norton gets kickbacks for having his
prisoners “committed elsewhere.”

Venality. People feather their own nests. See also 36, 40
34.
“Woman can’t bake for shit.”

Male machismo. Sweeping generalisation and categorisation. Norton despises everyone.
35.
Norton gives the pie he considers awful to Andy.

Haughtiness, people in high positions despise those lower.
36.
“There’s a river of dirty money running through this place.”

Venality, however powerful the institution
37.
“He is a phantom, an apparition-second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit.”

Ingenuity, there’s always a way out if one thinks hard enough.
38.
Tommy determines to learn his ABCs.

Power of ambition and education.
39.
Norton refuses to find out if the Elmo Blatch story is true.

Protection of own interests over-rides responsibility to others.
40.
Murder of Tommy. “Broke Captain Hadley’s heart to shoot him.”

Brutality; the abuse of power. Hadley and Norton consider they are above the law, or that they make
their own laws. Hypocrisy.
41.
Andy confesses to Red that it was he who really killed his wife because he was so cold to her.

Failed relationships
42.
“I been in here most of my life. I’m an institutional man now.”

Institutionalisation.
43.
Andy dreams of Zihuantanejo.

Escapism, need to keep focussed on something beyond one’s present misery in order to survive.
44.
“Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.”

Fatalism. Optimism.
45.
“Andy would never do that! I don’t know. Every man has his breaking point.”

Misinterpretation of events and scenes, the failure to see the real import.

Fatalism.
46.
Andy asked Heywood for a piece of rope six feet long.

Misinterpretation of events and scenes, the failure to see the real import.
47.
Andy’s escape.

Determination.
48.

49.

50.
“Andy’s favourite hobby was totin’ his wall out into the exercise yard a handful at a time.”
Determination. Cleverness.
“I look back on the way I was then. A young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime.”
Realism, acceptance of the facts. How people change.
“Forty years I’ve been asking permission to piss.”

Institutionalisation.
51.
“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing.”

Positivism
40
Themes and Issues - Answer Guide

Below are details from the film that point to issues. Identify what those issues are.
Issue 1

Andy is incarcerated for well on 20 years in most inhuman conditions amid a confraternity of negative
thinkers, who have long given up any expectation of being free. Yet he beavers away at chipping through
his cell’s concrete wall and lays a plan for robbing Norton of his ill-gotten gains.

Red is free in Boston, working in the supermarket and staying at Brooks' old half-way house, but he
contemplates suicide because he finds he has to look after himself and can’t. The only thing that prevents
him from re-offending and getting back into the “safety” of prison are the words of Andy, promising him
something of value under a black rock in a wall near Buxton.

Tommy wants to have a decent job in life but realises that he needs to pass his School Equivalency
examinations, which he failed at school. Under Andy’s tutelage in the library, he works at his studies.

There is always hope
Issue 2

Red, Andy's closest friend in prison, is sceptical of a rock hammer being able to chisel through the walls:
“600 years” is the time it would take, he opines.

Dufresne toils under cover of darkness every night at chipping away at the concrete wall to effect an exit
hole hidden by a poster of a female star.

He gradually worms his way into the confidence of the guards and Norton by displaying financial
expertise as a result of his banking career and so siphons the Warden’s personal fortune into an account
which will safeguard his financial security for the rest of his life.

Perseverance rewards all one’s efforts
Issue 3

Andy’s work-boots need to be swapped for a pair of fancy shoes for when he hits the bank, so he has to
invent some tactic to accommodate this situation.

He must create a tax number, bank account numbers and social security files for his fictitious character,
Randall Stevens, in order to have a deposit for the Norton funds he siphons off.

No-one in the prison or out of it must know of the plan, otherwise it might be “blown” by a foolhardy
remark, so absolute secrecy has to be adopted from the outset.

Careful planning is absolutely essential in order to succeed
Issue 4

Andy is thrown into prison on the evidence of
 his footprints outside on the drive of his wife
 his fingerprints on the broken whisky bottle
 the car tyre marks in the mud outside the murder scene
 failure of the police to find Andy’s gun in the Royal River
 Andy’s confession that he would rather see his wife in Hell than see her in a divorce court in
Reno, which implies that he wanted her dead.
These circumstances lead the judge to give Andy two life imprisonments, back to back, for the two
murders, yet we learn that he did not do it at the beginning of the film and that Elmo Blatch, in fact,
pulled the trigger.

The law sometimes gets it wrong. It is a mistake to think that lawyers, judges and the police are
infallible.
41
Issue 5

Red asks his employer at the supermarket if he can go for a pee.

Brooks finds the traffic in Boston tremendously fast, so is hesitant about crossing the road.

Finding life on the outside so dependent on him looking after himself, rather than being cared for in every
activity, Hatlen hangs himself.

One can become institutionalised, totally dependent on the system, given long enough in the place.
Issue 6

Red builds up a network of procurers, who can obtain anything. So he secures a rock hammer and posters
for Andy. He is the “King Rat” of Shawshank. All depend on him.

Andy, in his turn, becomes dependent on Red, but more than that, opens up his heart about his marriage
and his failure to show deep affection to his wife. So Red becomes his confidante.

It is the promise that Red made to Andy, to read the note under the rock in the wall, which is the only
thing keeping Red on the outside and from suicide. Without Andy, Red would have probably gone the
way of Brooks

The deepest friendships develop when in close proximity to others, especially when in danger.
Issue 7

Andy is threatened with having Bog’s penis thrust into his mouth.

He is beaten to within an inch of his life several times by the Sisters.

The Warden confines him to solitary for two months.

Captain Hadley murders two men, Chubby Fat Ass and Tommy Williams.

The Warden obtains countless kickbacks and lines his own pockets.

Prison is horrific.
Issue 8

Norton tells every prisoner to guide his life by the Good Book, i.e. live a life of selfless goodliness.

Norton connives at the murder of Williams.

He outwardly assumes a religious fervour, by quoting the Bible verse by verse, yet steals prison funds.

There is so much hypocrisy amid people.
Issue 9




The notes of the sopranos in The Marriage of Figaro over the loudspeaker stop everyone in their
tracks: the workers in the carpentry shop down tools and run to the window to see where the sound is
coming from. The guard on the toilet while the sopranos sing pulls up his pants pronto and dashes
outside to find the music source.
Andy buys Red a new mouth organ to raise his spirits in Shawshank.
Red has never played his own mouth organ since he came to Shawshank.
Music can transform people’s way of thinking.
42
Crossword Answers
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43
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Word Search Answers

In the following word search, you will find 20 adjectives or nouns that apply to various characters in
the film. When you find them, ascribe them to the most appropriate character in the table below. Some
could match up with more than one character, but there should be at least three to each character.
Identify nouns with 'n' and adjectives with 'a'.
N
O
I
T
A
N
I
M
R
E
T
E
S
P
E
T
I
R
E
E
R
A
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S
P
A
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A
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N
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F
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ANDY
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RED
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NORTON
REDEMPTION
n
HOPELESS
a
CRIMINAL
n
INNOCENT
a
RETRIEVER
n
HYPOCRITE
n
DETERMINATION
n
CYNICAL
a
CORRUPT
a
CLEVER
a
LOYAL
a
PERSISTENT
a
HADLEY
BROOKS
TOMMY
INHUMANE
a
DESPAIR
n
MURDERED
a
BULLY
n
INSTITUTIONALISED
a
PUNK
n
SADISM
n
AFRAID
a
PERSISTENT
a
44
Interesting Trivia

The role of Tommy Williams was intended for Brad Pitt.

Filming was done at the defunct Mansfield State Penitentiary in Ohio. The prison was in such poor
condition that renovations had to be made prior to filming.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals monitored the filming of scenes involving
Brooks' crow. During the scene where he fed it a maggot, the ASPCA objected on the grounds that it was
cruel to the maggot, and required that they use a maggot that had died from natural causes. One was
found, and the scene was filmed.

In Stephen King's original story, Red was written as an Irishman. The line, "Maybe it's 'cause I'm Irish",
was left in even after Morgan Freeman was cast as Red.

There are several similarities to the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, which is
mentioned during the film. The Dumas novel involves a man falsely imprisoned for a crime, who later
makes a daring escape. After escaping, he acquires hidden treasure, which he learns about in jail, and
executes a plan of revenge against those who imprisoned him.

The movie is dedicated to Frank Darabont's former agent, who helped him get started.

Warden Norton whistles the hymn "Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott", the English translation of which is "A
Mighty Fortress is Our God".

The mug-shots of a young-looking Morgan Freeman that are attached to his parole papers are actually
pictures of Morgan's younger son, Alfonso. Alfonso also has a cameo in the movie as a con shouting
"Fresh fish! Fresh fish today! We're reeling 'em in!"

On the wall in Andy Dufresne's cell is a picture of Albert Einstein. Tim Robbins, who portrayed Andy
Dufresne, also played in the fictional movie of Albert Einstein, I.Q.

In the opening courtroom sequence, Andy Dufresne mentions that he threw his gun into the Royal River;
this is the same name of the river that the kids cross in Stand By Me, also from a Stephen King story.

When Warden Samuel Norton opens the Bible where Andy Dufresne hid his rock pick, it opens to the
Book of Exodus, which details the escape of the Jews from Egypt.

In the scene after Andy has escaped, the warden tells them to question Red. When they call to open Red's
cell they shout, "Open 237!" This is the same number as the room in The Shining, and the amount of
change ($2.37) the four boys in Stand By Me collect between them. All three movies were based on
Stephen King stories

Stephen King sold the rights to the movie very cheaply out of his friendship with Frank Darabont. They
had become friends when Darabont adapted a short story of King's called "The Woman in the Room"
(King has a policy stating that any aspiring filmmaker can adapt his short stories for a buck) and King
was thoroughly impressed. They maintained a pen pal relationship and didn't actually meet until
Darabont optioned Shawshank.

Towards the beginning, when Red leaves after they stamp REJECTED on his papers, his buddies ask him
what happened, and Red says "Same shit, different day." This phrase is also said in the movie
Dreamcatchers, which is also a Stephen King movie.

The prisoners are drinking Stroh's beer on the roof.

Actual prison inmates were used as extras in the scene when the camera PANS over the prison yard while
Andy plays the aria over the loudspeaker.

Although a very modest hit in theatres, the film became one of the highest grossing video rentals of all
time. It currently ranks number 3 in the IMDb list of all-time most popular films, and was recently voted
in the UK as the best film never to have earned an Oscar.
45