Institutionalization

Scene:

Red is the guy who says he can get everything. He knows the ins and outs of prison, but to do his job he must feel comfortable and at ease so he will not be founds at out. Each of the men make fun of the fact that they are up for rejection for their pleas for leaving prison. They joke about it because they know they are not getting out and they don’t really care. They even feel comfortable mocking the new prisoners without being nervous themselves, because they’ve all been there.

In the scene where Red is up for trial he is very nervous and doesn’t know how to conduct himself. He is not nervous of staying, but nervous of leaving prison as he has been in prison so long that he knows no different.

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Setting:

There are many different ways in which the idea of institutionalization has been brought through with the setting in Shawshank. High walls depict the idea that the prisoners are all enclosed and cannot get out. When Red comes out of the parole hearing the walls have light shining on them, which shows that Red is comfortable living within them; they are just another part of his life. However, for the new prisoners the walls are dark and daunting and they close the prisoners off from the lush green landscape outside the prison, removing all hope of escaping. The walls enclose on the prisoners and remove all hope, but the longer they stay the more homely the walls get. They become institutionalized.

 

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Institutionalism in the opening scenes

 

When we first see Shawshank prison it gives us a strong idea of the fresh fish.” The prisoners are stripped of all their

institutionalism that takes place on ‘the inside’. From the sweeping shot of

the prison we can see the contrast between the inside and the outside. The

outside is luscious and green portraying freedom and the inside is

surrounded by huge grey walls.

The first character we meet in Shawshank is Red. He is a good example of an

institutionalised man as he has been in prison for twenty years and is used

to the routine of being “up for rejection.” Red knows the ins and outs of

life as a convict. Inside, he is the”man who knows how to get things.” He is

somebody. We come to realise that Red is happy in Shawshank and doesn’t

really want to get out.

The arrival of the new prisoners at Shawshank also shows us the extent of

how badly the prison has affected the inmate’s lives. They are used to such

strict routines that when something new happens (in this case the arrival of

a new group of prisoners) everyone swarms to look. The inmates rattling the

fences and shout at the newcomers, making them seem a lot like cage animals,

excited by the “

personal belongings and put through the “de-lousing” routine effectively 

institutionalising them.

 

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Light/Dark:

When Red opens the door to the parole hearing he moves from complete

darkness into faint light. This faint light shows the little hope he has of

being approved. Light and dark contrasts are carried on throughout the

opening scenes. When the new prisoners are entering the prison building they

look to the sky and see light but as they get further in they are shunned

into darkness. When the warden was welcoming the new prisoners the room is

totally dark apart from the rays of light behind them, representing the hope

they have lost and the struggle they will face in order to gain it back.

" Lights out" on the first night is the final realisation that they are in

prison. Also, during the first night in prison, Hayward and 'fat ass' are

contrasted using light. Hayward has light streaming in around him showing

that he is at ease with his fate and that he has had time to accept it,

whereas 'fat ass' is still upset and in denial.

 

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Colour:

The prison is totally grey and dull, representing the imprisonment and no

hope, whereas outside the walls the is lush green grass and free landscape,

showing freedom and hope that lies outside the walls. Prison uniform is

contrasted with the guards uniform, where the prison uniform is grey and

dull the guards uniform is blue and gold bits. this shows us that the guards

are free whereas the prisoners are bound- locked in by grey walls.

 

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The Warden

 

During the first scene we are given very mixed messages about the Warden.

He seems to be Hypocritical as what he says is mostly all versuses from

the bible but what he does is very different from this. He orders and

stands by as the guard beats one of the prisoners and says very

unappropriae things to him that would be called a sin. He doesnt say much

and this makes him appear to be very intelligent and gives him power. He

gets others to do his dirty work for him as he pretends to keep his hands

clean. Howevr in this first scene we come to understand that he is a big

player in this game. The lighting is very dark on him and we see this

broch on his jacket as a cross. This is a very important controversial

statement as he is in no way what you would imagine to be a very spiritual

man.