-
I. Introduction
The
Shawshank
Redemption
was
adapted
from
Rita
Hayworth
and
the
Shawshank
Redemption
in
the
Different
Seasons
written
by
Stephen
King.
This
movie
broke
the
genre
restrictions
of
the
prison
theme
movie
and
made
human-interest
and
the
warm
feeling,
which
is
infrequent
in
any
other
movies
with
the
same
theme,
be
the
main
idea.
The
considerably
close
relationship between this movie and the
Bible
can be seen from three
aspects:
the
character
dialogue,
the
traits
of
characters
and
the
scene
setting.
Protagonist
’
s escape from
prison is not an accidental event and
it
’
s
not
the
only
redemption
for
himself
but also
the
redemption
for
his
friend
in
prison
so
far
as
to
rescue
their
spirit.
In
the
whole
process
of
redemption,
the
stress
of
the
Bible
is
a
force
to
be
reckoned
with.
The
Bible
guides
all
the
people
to
redemption
with
learning
what
light
is,
the
new
birth,
and
the
way
to
freedom.
On
the
other
hand,
it
presages
the
punishment
for
the
sin.
Actually,
this
movie
means
that
not
all
the
people
who believe in God
and
Bible
are
philanthropists, and the directive function
of the
Bible
reflects everywhere.
II. The
character dialogue in
The Shawshank
Redemption
The connection
between character dialogue and the
Bible
is
really
inseparable.
On the one
hand, thinking
about
the
literal
meaning,
many character
dialogues
are
quoted
from
the
Bible
directly,
such
as
the
dialogue
between
Mr.
Warden
and
Andy.
On
the
other
hand,
analyzing
the
connotative
meaning
of
the
dialogues, many contents manifested the
truth of the
Bible
, rebirth
and freedom,
ugliness,
etc.
Among
them,
some
words
appeared
again
and
again,
such
as
1
rehabilitated
and
institutionalized.
Obviously,
all
o
f
these
words
with
religious
color
make
the
whole
movie
brimming
with
religio
us
color
as
well.
The
Bible
is
to
prisoners
in
Shawshank
what
beacon
is
to
people
in
darkness. It means that due to learning
of the
Bible
they have
studied how to
make
a
choice
from
rebirth,
freedom
and
ugliness.
The
choice
could
completely changes
prisoners
’
mind
and
life without a shout of believing
in
the
God, and
different choices lead to distinct endings of
characters.
2.1
Red
2.1.1 The
soliloquy of Red
The
soliloquy
of
Red
plays
an
important
role
as
movie
’
s
main
line
running
through the whole
movie
except the dialogue. His words
look
prosaic but really
powerful
and
it
introduces
the
film
’
s
time,
site
and
the
main
characters.
The
monologue gives audiences a kind, pure
and fresh sense, just like listening to an
old man who experienced vicissitudes
telling his own story
.
At
the
beginning
of
the
movie,
Red
had
a
long
part
of
soliloquy
which
can
introduce
the
main roles,
leading
to protagonist
’
s
background and
lays the basis
for
the
entire
movie.
Red
was
omnipotent
in
the
prison
because
he
could
get
everything
he
or
others
wanted
and
this
special
identity
lain
the
basis
for
later
scene,
such
as
Andy
asked
him
for
photo
of
Rita
Hayworth
and
so
on.
Then,
Andy
appeared
in
the
Shawshank
for
the
first
time,
followed
by
how
he
made
friends
with
Red. What
’
s
more, the
monologue
makes audiences know that the
hero
’
s
fate was
linked to this old
calming
man
named Red. The
soliloquy
in the
beginning
of the movie was shocking to all audiences as
follows:
“There
must be a con like me
in every prison in
America
…I’m
a regular Sears
2
and
Roebuck.
So
when
Andy
Dufresne
came
to
me
in
1949
and
asked
me
to
smuggle
Rita
Hayworth
into
the
prison
for
him
…I
told
him
that
no
problem.
Andy
came to Shawshank Prison in early
1947
…
On the outside,
he
’
d been vice
president
of
a
large
Portland
bank.
Good
work
for
a
man
so
young.
”
(
/view/
)
When
Red
and
his
fellows
were
chosen
to
work
out
of
prison,
Andy
told
Mr.
Hadley
he
could
help
him
to
set
up
for
free
tax
and
save
some
money
.
Then
Andy said to Mr.
Hadley
that
he would only
ask three beers apiece
for
each of
his
coworkers.
After
that,
there
was
another
soliloquy
of
Red.
That
part
indicates
that
though
Andy
was
in
prison,
his
spirit
still
looked
forward
to
equality and freedom, and he influenced
his friends. All above is the start of the
redemption,
because
they
attempt
to
break
the
oppression
to
maximize
their
rights
and
freedom.
Red
’
s
tone
was
gentle
easy
so
that
he
didn
’
t
look
like
a
prisoner but a storyteller. When
he
narrated
the
experience that
how a prisoner
fought
freedom
for
his
friends
and
himself, he smiled and
imagined that
he was
a real
man
who
could
have a rest, drink beer and own
the
freedom.
In
fact, this
part of soliloquy
reflects a kind of role conversion as follows:
“…
in
the
spring
of
1949
…
wound
up
sitting
in
a
row
at
10:00
in
the
morning
…
drinking
icy-cold
beer
…
We
sat
and
drank
with
the
sun
on
our
shoulders
and
felt
like free
man
…
As
for
Andy
he
spent that
break
hunkered
in
the
shade
…
a strange little smile
on his face watching us drinking his
beer
.
…
Or
maybe
make
a
few
friends
among
us
cons.
me?
I
think
he
did
it
just
to
feel
normal
again if only for a short
while.
”
(
/view/
)
2.1.2 The connection
between the soliloquy of Red and the
Bible
The
Bible
advocates personal and
spiritual
freedom. Personal
freedom
refers
to
3
prohibiting
slavery
and
spiritual
freedom
refers
to
having
no
right
to
criticize
others. In the soliloquy of Red,
several words appeared again and again, such as
“
free
man
”
,
“
normal
”
and
“
freedom
”
.
All
these
words
imply
that
prisoners
desire
to
return
to
normality,
renascence
and
freedom.
As
a
representative
of
prisoners,
Red kept
his own
view about the whole
story, and because of
Andy
he
changed
a
lot.
He
started
to
find
brand-new
significance
of
prison
life
and
restore
the
hope
of
life.
He
gave
the
photo
to
Andy
for
free,
found
stones
for
Andy
to engrave
chess and
helped
Brooks to clean
up the
library.
What
’
s
more,
he reminded Andy of paying attention to
violence in prison. As a matter of fact,
Red
learnt
how
to
help
and
care
for
others,
because
he
believed
that
he
could
have friends again and
he could be a trustworthy friend for another man.
2.2 Mr. Warden
2.2.1
The
dialogue between Mr. Warden and others
When Mr. Warden
met the
new prisoners
for
the
first time,
he said something.
On
the
surface,
he
looked
serious
and
cautious,
but,
practically,
his
tone
was
hiding dangers. He told prisoners that
they should remember the
Bible
and learn
it
by
heart.
However,
while
he
was
shouting,
he
used
abusive
words
which
formed
a
bright
contrast
with
his
conservative
business
suits.
From
Mr.
Warden
’
s
well-mannered
self-
introduction
to
cursing
threat,
it
only
lasted
several minutes with
the words as follows:
“I’
m
Mr.
Norton,
the
warden…
The
rule
number
one:
No
blasphemy.
I’
ll
not
have the Lord
’
s
name taken in vain in my prison. The other rules
you
’
ll figure
out
as you go along
…
I believe
in 2 things: Discipline and the
Bible
…
Put your
trust
in
the
Lord.
Your
ass
belongs
to
me.
Welcome
to
Shawshank.
”
(
/view/
)
4
When
Mr.
Warden
and
Mr.
Hadley
were
tossing
cells,
there
was
a
short
dialogue
between Mr. Warden and Andy.
This part
looks simple, but
it
’
s really
pregnant with
meaning. Mr.
Warden and
Andy are both remembering
the
Bible
by
heart, but,
in
fact, they are different kinds of
people. This section shows that
Mr.
Warden
is
virtuous
and
moral
on
words
but
cruel
on
behavior,
using
the
Bible
to
hide
his
evil
behavior.
Throughout
the
film,
this
part
is
the
twist
of
characters
’
fate.
Mr.
Warden
only
wanted
to
test
Andy
’
s
ability
in
order
to
make him work for him
in the
future. Mr. Warden
used strong tone and tried to
conquer
and control Andy. As a prisoner, Andy answered
neither overbearingly
nor
impatiently so
much as a
confident
man.
This short
dialogue between Mr.
Warden
and Andy was punchy as follows:
“
Mr.
Warden:
Please
to
see
you
reading
this.
Any
favorite
passage…
Andy:
Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not
when the master of the house
cometh
…
Mr.
Warden: Mark, 13:35.
I
’
ve always liked that one.
But I prefer that I am the light
of
the
world.
Ye
that
followeth
me
shall
love
the
light
of
life
…Andy:
John,
chapter
8,
verse
12
…
Mr.
Warden:
Salvation
lies
within
…
Andy:
Yes,
sir.
”
(
/view/
)
2.2.2 The connection between Mr.
Warden
’
s words and the
Bible
In
the
entire
film,
Mr.
Warden
’
s
words
kept
the
closest
connection
with
the
Bible
,
because
he
always
used
some
parts
of
the
Bible
as
quotation
in
daily
conversation.
What
’
s
more,
whether
the prisoners could
memorize
the
Bible
or
not
was
the standard
to judge
whether the
prisoners could turn over a
new
leaf
or
not.
For
example,
when
Mr.
Warden
reprimanded
prisoners,
he
mentioned
the
Bible
and told them that all
of them
should believe
in
the
Lord. As a
matter
of
fact, the dialogue
between
Mr. Warden and
Andy
was
the best reflection of
the connection, which left suspense for
audience.
5
2.3 Others
2.3.1
Some other character dialogue
This movie describes two scenes between
Red and senior officers of Shawshank,
and there are two dialogue with
different results. Though Red was not the oldest
prisoner
in Shawshank,
he
underwent all
his
life
from a
kid to
an old
man.
He
was eager for freedom but
he didn
’
t know when he could
get it. With time going
by
,
he became
numb and afraid of
striving
for
life.
At
first,
he
tried
his best
to
tell senior officers
that
he
had changed, because
he thought
he
was
still
young
and
if he rejoined society he could do everything he
wanted.
“
Officer:
We
see
you
’
ve
served
20
years
of
a
life
sentence
…
you
feel
you
’
ve
been
rehabilitated?
Red:
I
mean,
I
learned
my
lesson.
I
can
honestly
say
that
I’
m
a
changed
man.
I’
m
no
longer
a
danger
to
society.
That
’
s
God
’
s
honest
truth.
”
(
/view/
)
But
the
result
was
rejection.
The
same
scene
in
twenty
years
has
different
results.
At
that
time,
Red
grew
to
an
old
man.
Maybe
he
still
wanted
to
catch
freedom, but his ability was not equal
to his ambition. Gradually, he got used to
the prison
life so
that
when
he
got another chance
to chat
with
senior officers,
he
looked a little impatient with the words as
follows:
“
Officer:
Ellis
Boyd
Redding
…
your
files
say
you
’
ve
served
40
years
of
a
life
sentence.
You
feel
you’
ve
been
rehabilitated...Red:
Am
I
sorry
for
what
I
did
…
there
’
s
not
a
day
goes
by
I
don
’
t
feel
regret
…
That
kid
’
s
long
gone
…
and
this
old
man
is
all
that
’
s
left.
I
got
to
live
with
that.
Rehabilitated?
It’
s
just a
bullshit word, so you
go on and stamp your forms, sonny, and stop
wasting my
time, because, to tell you
the truth, I don
’
t give a
shit.
”
(
/view/
)
6
And
this
time
the
result
is
approved.
In
fact,
these
two
experiences
of
Red
’
s
conversation
with
officer
perform
twenty
years
in
which
a
stupid
young
kid
became
an
old
man
who
was
still
in
prison.
Maybe
the
prison
life
consists
of
routine,
and
then
more
routine.
Twenty
years
means
that
one
person
could
change
his
mind
and
have accustomed to one
life style.
What
’
s
more,
he could
not
live
in the society
,
just
like
Brooks.
After
he
read
the
letter
from
Brooks,
he realized that the
prison was like funny walls because at first you
hated them,
and then you got used to
them, and with time passing by you depended on
them. That
’
s
institutionalizatio
n.
2.3.2 The connection between
others
’
dialogue and the
Bible
The
connection
between
others
’
dialogue
and
the
Bible
mainly
reflects
in
several
key
words,
such
as
rehabilitated
and
institutio
nalized
which
are
full
of
religious
color.
Rehabilitated
refers
to that a person
changes
his
mind and
life style
completely and
institutionalized
refers
to
a
person
should
stay
at
one
place
for
a
long
time
observing
disciplines
which
could
let
persons
forfeit
fighting
spirit
and
individuality.
It
seemed
to
be
no
links
with
the
Bible
, but,
in
reality,
they are two parts
of the redemption. Rehabilitated could
help people
recognize
themselves, at
the same time
institutionalization
could
put
people
through
the
mill
and
become
stronger.
Looking
back
to
the
Bible
,
it also
tells that
if
you could
insist to suffer tribulation, you could
get the
opportunity to
acquire rebirth and start a new life which is full
of helping others,
forgiving others and
happiness.
III.
The traits of character in
The
Shawshank Redemption
The
connection between the traits of character and
the
Bible
is closely related.
7
All of
the
characters believe
in the
Bible
, but some
hold
it
in
heart, and others
only
remember
in
words.
Y
et
contrary
to
heroic
image,
all
the
negative
characters
like
Mr.
Hadley
and
Mr.
Warden
are
incarnations
of
the
devil.
Fear
can
hold
you
prisoner,
hope
can
set
you
free.
A
strong
man
can
save
himself; a great man
can save another.
Undoubtedly, all the prisoners
in Shawshank are people out of
the system,
and
they
are
conformers
and
assimilators.
The
prisoners
can
be
divided
into
four
classes:
Andy, as a
representative of
hero;
Red, as a representative of the elite;
Brooks, as a representative of
the
mass;
abused
fatal
fat boy, as a
representative
of
the
loser.
They
keep
different
views
of
institutionalization
and
redemption,
and different understandings of the
Bible
, so they have really
distinct stories.
3.1 Andy
3.1.1
Andy
’
s character
Andy, the
leading actor of
the
movie,
was
jailed
for
life,
because
his wife and
lover
were killed, and there was not enough evidence to
prove his innocence. In
his first night
in prison, several older prisoners bet that the
fresh prisoner would
cry
first. Unexpectedly,
Andy
didn
’
t cry all
the
night
for
fear.
By contrast,
his
tough calm character
is
totally different
from
his bookish appearance.
After
he
got used to living
in prison, he asked Red to buy a rock hammer which
is about
six or seven inches long and
looks like a miniature pickax. He hanged the photo
of Rita Hayworth
in prison,
played the
music
in studio
and
made
the
right
for
his
fellows to drink. All the things above could prove
that Andy was an optimist
who
still
kept
the
hope
and
interest
of
life.
Andy
said
that
hope
is
a
good
thing, maybe the best of things, and no
good thing ever dies.
3.1.2
The connection between
Andy
’
s character and the
Bible
A strong man can save himself, a great
man can save another. Andy memorized
8
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