Gillian Claire G.

Cancio TTH 1:30 3:00 February 28, 2017

BS COME 4

Shawshank Redemption: Reaction Paper

Shawshank Redemption is a movie that best exemplifies hope. Hope that which should
have been lost given the predicaments experienced by its characters, most especially, Andy
Dufresne. Andy who was accused and incriminated of a crime he didnt do, showed me how to
make the best out of any situation. Having said so, his character clearly epitomizes what it means
to be an existential being, and how it has affected him and those that surround him.
Existentialism is a philosophical theory that emphasizes the existence of a human person
as a free and responsible individual capable of existing without having to conform to the dictates
of society. One of the first Existentialist, Soren Kierkegaard, states that an individual act, think
and say based on what the faceless crowds standards. That is not the case for an individual
who knows his true self. In the movie, there are many characters that were depicted to have
conformed to the faceless crowd. The overweight inmate who was savagely beaten, have lost
his composure when one of the inmates verbally abused him. Brooks Hatlen who has been in
Shawshank prison for 50 years has been institutionalized. When his parole came, he didnt know
how to adapt to the new environment thus committing suicide.
Moreover, the movie had also portrayed the different stages in life based on
Kierkegaards theory. A young prisoner named Tommy who was sent to Shawshank prison to
serve sentences for armed robbery, came in and talked all the time about how he had pulled off
his stunts. He was depicted as a young man, who basically lived in the moment not thinking
about the consequences of his actions. Then, when it was revealed that Tommy indeed had a wife
and a baby, the transition from being an in the moment boy to a future oriented man was seen.
He began by asking for Andys help in teaching him how to read. Andy who takes pleasure in
having his mind constantly occupied eagerly helped the young man. He guided him even though
Tommy was drawn back to the thought of him passing the exams. Later in the film, it was
revealed that Tommy could be a potential witness to acquit Andy of the crime of killing his wife
and her lover. Warden Norton, was greatly disturbed by this testimony called out Tommy outside
the precinct and asked him if he would testify in court in favor of Andy. Tommy made a leap of
faith with his determination to testify for Andy, which basically was the reason the warden had
ordered him killed.
Now, Id like to give focus on Andy, what he did and how he made an impact to the
people that surrounds him. He started off as this introvert individual who kept most of the time
all to himself. He later ventured into projects just to keep his mind occupied, but according to
Red, he did it because it let him feel free. This kind of mentality is similar to Albert Camus
representations of duality. Andy is stuck in a mortifying situation and yet he continues to act as if
his situation was nothing. He kept his composure intact. He didnt let others get through him
even though he was abused from time to time. He wrote letters per week for six years in order to
get funds for Shawshank Library. That when they told him to stop, he wrote two letters per week,
thus gaining more support for the Library. Apart from that, he even offered his previous banking
services to the officials and even the warden, which became beneficial for him and his co-
inmates. He was happy and there was nothing anybody could do to change that. Even though his
friend, Red, dismissed his idea of hope, Andy continued to hope. Even though, the prison walls
stood tall in between him and the outside world, he refused to be institutionalized.
Andys case is quite absurd. He was incriminated for a crime that wasnt his doing to
begin with. That when he found out about Tommys story regarding his previous cellmate, he
quickly related it to the warden hoping he would be acquitted. But to no avail, he was imprisoned
in the hole for two months due to the wardens self-centered ideals. It got through him. He came
back from the hole, now a broken man. His friends were concerned that he might have reached
his breaking point. Andy, the one prisoner who has done what others have not dared to do, in the
past, now institutionalized?
The concept of absurdity is quite funny. How does one find meaning in a meaningless
life? How can one man still be hopeful when all hope is lost? According to Camus, the Absurd is
one of the fundamental and even defining characteristic of the modern human condition. Many
people who find the absurd overwhelming tends to turn to taking ones own life. When it is too
much to bear and theres no hope, wouldnt be ending one life be a more convenient solution?
Camus begs to argue, suicide for him is a major philosophical problem. In spite of the
meaningless and absurdity of life one must continue living.
As for Andy, he came back from the hole shattered yet he continued to be steadfast in his
hope for a much better life. His friend, Red, confronted him and when he had said that he wanted
to go to Zihuatanejo, Red retaliated. Andy said that in life its either you get busy living or get
busy dying. Red and other inmates were pictured as those who were getting busy dying. Why?
They were institutionalized inside the prison walls. They conformed to faceless crowd and had
given up the absurd thought of breaking through their predicaments. But, Andy was confident
that one day soon, Red would indeed go out.
Andy did get out from Shawshank. But, he went through unbearable situations to do so.
He had made a hole in his prison cell using his rock hammer which took him 19 years. He had
crawled his way through the icky septic tube, which contained all the shit of the inmates as
well as the officer inside Shawshank. But, when he came out from the other side, he was clean.
He got rid of all the shit he had to endure, and Im not just talking about the tube he had
crawled through. I was talking about the abusive officials inside Shawshank, the hopelessness of
his inmates and the crime he was innocently verdicted. He set an inspiration to his friends, most
especially, Red. When his parole came, he was on the brink of doing what Brooks did. He was so
used to the ways inside Shawshank that even though he has to piss, he would usually ask
permission from the store manager. But, he was afraid, everything seems different. However, it
was his promise to Andy that kept him alive. He was determined to once again, see his friend,
and he did.
After watching the movie, I had to reflect on myself. Have I conquered the absurd the
way Andy did? Im quite sure I wouldnt have his composure despite everything. Im pretty sure
Id be suffocating myself with the negativities that surround me. Thats the way I have lived my
life, for 20 years, blaming myself for the negative situation I have caused in my life and in the
life of others. This mindset has kept me overthinking for years, that I think I had already
forgotten how to exist, in a true sense. However, just like Red, its not too late for me. I have the
power to turn my life around, if I do so willingly. Andy, serves as a beacon for people like me,
may it be young or old. One must not be institutionalized. One must recognize themselves apart
from the faceless crowd. One must find meaning in a meaningless life, no matter how absurd it
may seem. The current trend in the society nowadays is to just give up, believe what others
choose to believe and submit to the standards of the people. This however is not the way to exist.
Hope, is a powerful thing. That when everything seems absurd and out of hand, one must not
cease to hope, that one day it will all make sense. That one day, after we have crawled through
the shit life throws at us, we may come out clean on the other side. Keep doing stuff that you
enjoy, as long as it does not hurt the people around you. Encourage one another to not give up
the good fight of living every day. What does it mean then to be alive and to exist? I honestly
couldnt say, but if we were to base it on Andy, its simply being able to wake up each day,
making every moment count despite of all the struggles we have to face. Its to get busy living
that we tend to dismiss the thought of dying.