Thoughts about The Shawshank Redemption

One evening a few years ago, I encountered a stranger. As we became acquainted, he asked me what I do for a living. I said that part of my work involves giving seminars that show how popular stories convey the Christian message. Curious about that statement, he asked, “Like what stories?”

           

I began to tell him about Andy Dufresne, the main character in the film The Shawshank Redemption. My new friend Brian had seen the film, so he could relate to what I was saying. I explained that prison films are often metaphors for life. Andy Dufresne possessed the natural human desire to escape from prison; and his yearning to break out was well founded, for he had been wrongfully prosecuted for his wife’s murder.

It is also notable that while Andy was in Shawshank he worked toward making the prison a better place. For example, he tenaciously worked within the system to create a library. He also helped inmates complete their high school equivalency diplomas.

Meanwhile, he made plans to escape from Shawshank. He knew of a special place called Zihuatanejo to which he would go if he ever got out of prison. He also wanted his friend, Red, to be able to go with him. Accordingly, Andy made provision for his friend to join him in paradise.

I told Brian that The Shawshank Redemption reminds me of the Christian belief that this world is not our final destination. We can empathize with the prisoner’s desire to escape because we long to escape from the prison of this world. Christianity says that we should prepare to leave this world; but it also tells us that while we wait we should make our world a better place and we should influence others to go with us to paradise. Andy Dufresne accomplished both while in Shawshank.

J. R. R. Tolkien noted that reading stories is one way we can escape to the world of our dreams. He asked, “Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home?” Watching stories, such as The Shawshank Redemption, that features a man escaping from prison and going to the world of his dreams remind us of the human desire to escape to a better world.

As I finished my thoughts about The Shawshank Redemption, I mentioned The Green Mile, whereupon Brian broke in with, “Yes, I was just about to mention that film too!” So we ended our conversation with a brief discussion of how The Green Mile illustrates some critical truths of Christianity.