Andy Dufresne:

 

Actions

Andy helps Hadley and in return gets beer for his fellow inmates

Andy stops working and puts himself at risk by asking Hadley if he wants help in

return for beer. Andy doesn’t actually drink any of the beer, but instead has the

opportunity to feel a sense of freedom, if only for that afternoon. The men sit

down, have a drink of beer and just relax, and this gives Andy a feeling of

normality-a taste of the outside world.

Gets the library upgraded

Andy sends a letter a week so that the old library can be upgraded. Nobody believes

he will actually get a reply to his letters, yet he perseveres and ends up receiving

some money for the library. This shows Andy’s quiet yet determined character, and

how he wants to honour a dead inmate (Brooks)

Locks himself in the office and plays Italian opera for everybody

Nothing in the prison really has any beauty. When Andy plays the Italian record so

that everyone in the prison can hear it, the prisoners get that moment of beauty,

something that they wouldn’t usually get in prison. Andy also gets a sense of

satisfaction from it, as he can sit back and listen and the guards couldn’t do

anything (until they broke the window that is), so for that moment he can feel that

nobody has power over him.

Escapes from prison

Andy achieves something nobody in the prison would’ve thought possible. He dug

through the wall and escaped. He also stole a lot of money from the Warden. He then

goes to Mexico, to have chance of a new life outside of prison. He achieves this

solely because he had hope; he believed that there was life for him outside and he

persevered until he got it.

Symbols

Chess

In the time Andy is prison, it is similar to a game of chess. Andy is playing the

game with Warden Norton, as one person makes a move then the other, and each needs

to make his move carefully. The final ‘checkmate’ so to speak is when Andy steals

Norton’s money and escapes and Norton resorts to shooting himself.

Jake the crow

When Andy first goes to prison, we first see Jake as a baby, when Brooks feeds him a

maggot from Andy’s plate: “I’m going to look after him until he’s old enough to

fly.”

This is a representative of Andy, as he is only new to prison life, so in a sense is

only a baby too. As Andy becomes more accustomed to prison life, we see Jake when he

has grown up more. When Andy is basically an expert of prison and is in the process

of setting up his escape from prison by doing paperwork for Norton, we see Jake

being released out the window because he is ready to fly. Not much long after, Andy

also makes his escape from prison and ‘flies away’.

“Some birds aren’t meant to be caged, their feathers are just too bright.”

This is symbolic of Andy, because he is the kind of person who doesn’t belong in

prison. And so Andy eventually escapes from his ‘cage’.

Andy

Andy himself is a symbol of hope. Andy gives hope to Red, where otherwise Red may

have followed the same path as Brooks did and kill himself. Andy becomes a

representation of hope to the inmates; because of the things he does i.e. the new

library and playing the opera music.

 

 

Beliefs

 

HOPEAndy's knowledge of his innocence keeps his hope alive and he knows he will get out

 

one day because of this.

He hangs on to hope, even when Red tells him to give up:

"Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things and no good thing ever dies."

 

SECOND CHANCESAndy believes that people should be given a second chance, but they have to be

 

willing to work hard. For example, Andy says he will help young Tommy pass his high

school exam if he promises not to give up. Andy does this because he believes he

also should get a second chance; to live his life on the "outside".

 

DOING THE RIGHT THINGAndy believes in helping people for no personal gain. For example, he helps Hadlee

 

(prison gaurd) with his money problems and as a reward he asks for beer for his

inmates. Andy is therefore contrasted with Warden Norton who will only help other

people if he will benefit from it. For example, the warden only mails Andy's letters

because Andy is helping him with his accounts.

 

Personality

 

Andy is a quiet observer who mostly keeps to himself. He is very stubborn and

because of this is able to persevere in the tedious project of digging through his

cell wall. He is a good chess player which enables him to strategise and plan his

moves in advance. This assists his successful escape from Shawshank Prison.

 

Andy is very loyal to his friends and also his enemies. We see this when he shares

the benefits of helping the warden with his friends. Likewise, when he is beaten up

by a group of inmates, he doesn't tell anyone who did it. Andy is therefore highly

respected in Shawshank. Andy has a sense of humour which also helps him get along

with the other inmates.

 

Relationships:In the film ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ the main character Andy Dufresne has

 

 

quite a few important relationships. Most of these friendships are made

throughout the film; the only exception is Andy’s relationship with his

wife. The other important relationships are those of Red, Warden Norton,

Brooks and the other inmates.

 

Red:Andy and Red became close friends throughout their life sentences in

 

Shawshank Prison. When Andy first arrived Red believed that Andy and himself

were not likely to end up as friends “I must admit I didn't think much of

Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow

him over. That was my first impression of the man.” Yet as they begin to get

to know each other over the years they become inseparable. When Andy finally

escapes we can see how much he meant to Red, with Andy gone prison returned

to being dull “I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be

caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part

of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. Still, the

place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I

guess I just miss my friend.”

 

Warden Norton:The relationship between Warden Norton and Andy is not one of friends but of

 

business partners using each other to get higher up in the world. The warden

picks Andy out as a “smart banker” and pounces on his opportunity to con an

inmate into doing all his ‘dirty work’. Andy uses the warden to help him

rebuild the library and to eventually break out of jail and claim a lot of

the Wardens money. The relationship between Norton and Dufresne is never one

of respect or friendship; it is a constant game between the two of theme.

They are always pushing to be the one on top and eventually Andy wins as he

escapes and Warden Norton kills himself.

 

Wife:The relationship between Andy and his wife is not explored very deeply in

 

the film however it is important because it is the reason for Andy ending up

in jail. The fact that Andy’s wife left him to be with another man shows us

that Andy must have been a very detached and vague man “My wife used to say

I'm a hard man to know. Like a closed book. Complained about it all the

time.” This gives us an inside look to the changes that occur in Andy when

he is in Shawshank. Although he is still a very quiet and reserved we can

see that by the end of his days in prison he shows his feelings more freely.

In one of Andy’s more vulnerable moments he says to Red about his wife “She

was beautiful. 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.” Andy obviously has remorse about the

way his relationship ended but he realises that “whatever mistakes I made

I've paid for and then some” and it is time to move on and forget the past.

 

The other Inmates:Andy Dufresne arrives at Shawshank as a lonely man that “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 on an invisible coat that would shield him from this place.”

Throughout his stay at Shawshank Andy becomes more respected by the inmates

and he becomes a close friend to them all. His quiet intelligence and open

mind made him an important person to all the inmates that had a relationship

with them.. Andy was not afraid to put his neck on the line to help others

out or do a good deed. This shows when he risks getting killed by the guards

to get “three beers apiece for my co-workers.” Another example of Andy’s

determination to let everyone see hope is when he locks himself in the

Wardens office and plays music over the speakers for all the inmates to

hear. All of these actions build a strong relationship between the inmates

and Andy and they become a family.

 

Important Dialogue:

Andy Dufresne does not say much in ‘Shawshank Redemption’ but what he does

say is very deep and meaningful.  Some of his main dialogue is focused

around hope and freedom and is always very wise. Andy becomes like a mentor

to many of the other inmates as he deals with difficult situations calmly

and efficiently. Andy’s dialogue is full of inspirational and encouraging

quotes and these are a few of them:

 

*        Andy Dufresne: Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't

made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to,

that they can't touch. That's yours.

Red: What're you talking about?

Andy Dufresne: Hope.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: [in letter to Red] Remember Red, hope is a good thing,

maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: Chess. Now there's a game of kings. Civilized. Strategic...

 

*        Andy Dufresne: The music was here... and here. That's the one thing they

can't confiscate, not ever. That's the beauty of it.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy

living or get busy dying.

 

All of these quotes are from Andy when he is in a hopeful and winning mood.

However in the movie we see a couple of times when Andy loses a bit of his

hope and a regretful, sad side of him comes out. These times are always when

Warden Norton is winning the game against him. Some of his more reflective

quotes are:

 

*        Andy Dufresne: It floats around. Has to land on somebody. Say a storm

comes through. Some folks sit in their living rooms and enjoy the rain. The

house next door gets torn out of the ground and smashed flat. It was my

turn, that's all. I was in the path of the tornado. I just had no idea the

storm would go on as long as it has.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: My wife used to say I'm a hard man to know. Like a closed

book. Complained about it all the time. She was beautiful. I loved her. But

I guess I couldn't show it enough.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: Mexico. Little place right on the Pacific. You know what

the Mexicans say about the Pacific? They say it has no memory. That's where

I'd like to finish out my life, Red. A warm place with no memory. Open a

little hotel right on the beach. Buy some worthless old boat and fix it up

like new. Take my guests out charter fishing.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: Not me. I didn't shoot my wife and I didn't shoot her

lover, and whatever mistakes I made I've paid for and then some. That hotel

and that boat... I don't think it's too much to want. To look at the stars

just after sunset. Touch the sand. Wade in the water. Feel free.

 

*        Andy Dufresne: She was beautiful. 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.