5+paragraph+essay

Curtis G. In the film Shawshank redemption, based on the novel by Steven King the two main characters of the film have very different views of about jail and the goings on within the prison system. Andy was found guilty but he was later found innocent by one of his prison friends. He was sentenced to life in prison for something he didn’t do, so this is the angle at which Andy looks at the prison system. Red was found guilty on killing a man when he was young and has been in prison his whole life. He has seen what goes on and how it works and doesn’t like what he see’s but makes the best of it for he knows he wont ever get out.

Red has been in prison his whole life and that’s all he knows. He keeps what little freedom he has by having people on the outside that can get him anything within reason. By having this simple amenity he can trade and get people things which makes him feel useful. This little thing keeps what little bit of human nature he has while being locked up.

Andy has been in prison for many years for something he didn’t do, he see’s how the prison works and also like Red doesn’t like it but he finds little things that help him feel human like carving stones. He works with the guards and the warden by doing there taxes and dealing with all the funds that go thru the jail. Helping them with simple tasks that he used to do before he was locked up, this helps him feel like a person again. He uses the privileges he has towards escaping. He uses the warden to his advantage by dealing with prison finances which he ultimately uses to get money for his successful escape.

Both red and Andy like to believe that everyone is innocent in prison because it helps them feel more like people than the criminals they are. This is the same throughout the prison as it helps all the prisoners feel a little bit more human. In prison were there is no freedom or expression it really helped when Andy put on the music because it didn’t matter that the prisoners didn’t understand or like the music, it’s just that they can feel just for a moment that they are as free as the music they listen too.

In conclusion one might believe that they both feel differently about the prison system but really they both just use it to there own advantages. They both use what little freedom they have and use it to feel more human in a place were you aren’t human, they just go about it in different ways which make them feel useful.