Movie Analysis Essay on The Shawshank Redemption

Introduction

The Shawshank Redemption is an American film by Frank Darabont that was produced in 1994. It explains the story of Andy Dufresne, who is accused of the murder two people, although he claims he is innocent. Two decades in Shawshank State Penitentiary and he becomes friends with Ellis Redding who is a contraband smuggler. Both characters play a significant role in the explanation of social atrocities and brutality that happen in prison. They have to adapt to the new environment as they get institutionalized from the normal life they were used to in the outside life. Different sociological theories like conflict theory and functionalism explain the rationale for the behaviors that are portrayed by the characters in Shawshank Redemption.

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In a society as is evident in The Shawshank Redemption, the most used punishment forms for suspects that are accused of certain mistakes and found guilty is sending them to correctional facilities. As Red quotes, “These walls are funny; first, you hate them then you love them. Enough time passes, you depend on them-that is institutionalization” (Darabont). This quote shows that society rejects the people who are taken to such facilities to correct their behaviors. However, as they continue with their stay in jail, they slowly get used to the new surroundings (Limanta 80). The longer that such individuals stay in this new setting, the more they become institutionalized as they accept their status and they establish new identities within the new community.

The movie focuses the most on these characters and some other individuals that have their lives institutionalized at the prison. Throughout the time they stay in jail, the prisoners adapt to the new environment quickly, and they eventually establish a society where they become valuable members and gain new functions (Brown 140). The film also shows the way that some people in power abuse their positions as they attempt to demoralize those imprisoned continually. They also do so to increase their economic and personal gains.

The functionalism theory is an interdependence of several societal aspects that create platforms where individual needs can easily be met. The prisoners in the film acquire an ability to feel like active members in the society they create in prison, offering a sense of fulfillment to themselves and the people around them (Kasinec and Mészáros 92). This theory also shows how prisoners gain a desire to become important people in society. When they are at first taken to prison, many people cannot feel like active members of the community; hence they feel that they do not have any purpose. However, as they continue adapting to the new environment in prison, they gain a desire to strive and find a way that they can achieve accepted roles in the community. Red and Brooks in Shawshank Redemption learn how to integrate themselves in the prison community, which enables them to create equilibrium between the new society and their past societies.

Red can network with other prisoners, and he is labelled as “the guy to go to when you need something” (Darabont). He is respected in the prison and helps the rest of the prisoners to gain stability as he offers his services freely in a bid to create an environment that is more consistent and comfortable. He sometimes acquires unacceptable items for other inmates throughout the film, but the prison population accepts him. Brooks also represents functionalism in his role in the movie as he oversees maintenance of the library (Kasinec and Mészáros 95). His role was at no time challenged by either the other prisoners or the authorities. This status allows him to gain fulfillment in the depressing world he lives in prison. However, when Brooks leaves the prison, he is of no importance; hence he commits suicide. He finds it hard adjusting to the outside world because he lived in jail for a very long time.

Another sociological aspect that exists in Shawshank Redemption is conflict theory. Conflict theory explains how, in any society individuals are always in constant conflicts. The groups that assert power over others always find reasons to humiliate other groups that the dominant groups see as inferior (Ulin 17). The prison wardens mistreat prisoners with many of the inmates living in harsh conditions in the new environment they find themselves in. In most cases, Dufresne faces violence when he shows other prisoners and the wardens that he is intelligent and resourceful in a way that he can beneficial to their lives after they leave prison. Dufresne approaches a guard and shows him how to avoid paying taxes on the vast sums of money he receives. At first, the guard demoralizes Dufresne because he sees him as an inferior, but eventually, he allows him to assist him through his accounting expertise.

When the guard realizes that Dufresne has left the prisoner role he had before he is given the task of handling funds, starts using excessive punishment so that he can cover up his inner conflicts (Ulin 19). When Dufresne escapes from the prison, he uncovers the scandals of the warden to the public ruining his power in prison and eventually leading to his death.

Conclusion

Shawshank Redemption shows functionalism that exists in the prison society creating stability mainly due to the purpose they serve and the sense of fulfillment they get from helping the rest of the population. Dufresne challenges the conflict theory as he relinquishes extensive control of his destiny and succeeds in defeating the oppressive conditions that he faces under the prison wander.

Works Cited

Brown, David. "Community Sanctions as Pervasive Punishment: A Review Essay." International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 8.4 (2019): 140.https://search.proquest.com/openview/70a637b633616b0cca05473c3d0f2bde/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=4425140

Darabont F, Stephen K,(1994).The Shawshank Redemption. Zihuatanejo, Castle Rock Entertainment

Kasinec, Rudolf, and TomášMészáros."Sociological and legal aspects of" prison movies"." Bratislava Law Review 3.2 (2019): 91-98.

Limanta, Liem Satya. "The Dynamic Interplay Between Agent and Structure in the Film The Shawshank Redemption." k@ ta 17.2 (2015): 79-86.https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/32453086.pdf

Ulin, Donald Ingram. "From Huckleberry Finn to The Shawshank Redemption: Race and the American Imagination in the Biracial Escape Film." European Journal of American studies 8.8-1 (2013).https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/10026