Theme of Hope in The Shawshank Redemption Essay Example

Humans always change and within those changes, there are a lot of hardships that help us grow as people and this is what gives us hope and teaches us the beauty of patience because there is always something great that happens after a time of hope fullness, and patience.

Every human faces problems. It's a thing that is natural to human existence. When individuals face adversities having hope is something that can inspire them to keep going forward because hope can keep us mentally sane through difficulties, and it can motivate us to keep aiming for the impossible. Hope gives individuals the ability to bear their hardships Without hope people become distressed and fearful to take action to change or improve their quality of life.

The film ‘’Shawshank Redemption’’  By the director Frank Darabont tells the story of ’Andy Dufrane, a banker who is convicted of the murder of his girlfriend and her lover, and thus Andy was given life in Shawshank prison, A prison that is in chaos and corruption. Although Andy is certain that he is in a place that he will never get out of because he was sentenced to life, he tries his best to survive the harsh reality of prison life. Andy encounters Red who is also known as ‘’the man that can get anything into Shawshank from the outside world’’  Red is the complete opposite of Andy because he is someone that has been in prison for so long he has become institutionalized to the system. However, Andy doesn't quite adapt well to prison life although he secretly does other crimes with the warden of the prison he is unsure of what his fate holds. When all the prisoners are watching a movie Andy approaches Red from behind and asks him if he can get ‘’Rita Hayworth’’ inside the prison this doesn't shock Red because it is part of his reputation Red mentions how ‘’the walls of Shawshank prison are something that you hate at first and then you just learn to get used to them’’  and that's something true because we see Red and he doesn't escape or try to do anything to escape matter fact he could escape if he wanted to since he can go outside to get things But Andy, on the other hand, isn't comfortable with the prison life just as Red is because Andy hasn't gotten used to the walls of Shawshank he wants to break free from them.

However, Andy finds it difficult to escape because the warden and the guards are always watching every step he takes. But Andy takes his steps secretly and with hope,  He tells his friend Red ‘’ Remember Red, hope is a good thing maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies’’. In the times he spent in prison the only thing that kept Andy going was hope and that's how he saved his life and the life of his fellow prisoner Red, by being hopeful even when the world was against him because Andy even though he was innocent was given a punishment that he didn't deserve and with patience and a lot of hope he eventually escaped and corrected the Shawshank prison system. 

Similarly, I had an experience in my life where I felt like I lost all hope just like Red and how he got comfortable inside the prison that he gave up on the outside world. During the pandemic it was tough for me to get used to the changes that were happening it was frightening, People were dying hospitals were filled with humans that couldn't breathe because of how deadly the virus was all of these experiences put me into so much stress I lost my focus and motivation I had to do a whole school year inside my room and when I went outside I had to wear a mask and sanitize my hands at all times and that suffocated me. The only time where I could see my friends and some of my family members was when we called each other on the phone, quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic was almost like being in prison, However, just like how Andy was there for Red when he lost all hope, I also had someone that was there for me.  And that was my mother. She encouraged me to keep patience and told me that everything would eventually come back to normal. I would have most definitely lost my sanity if my mother didn't comfort me. Sometimes people go through hardships and it can be hard to be in the present moment because of the amount of stress a person might be going through like for instance for me when I had online classes during the pandemic most of the time I would just zone out while in class and I wouldn't know what was happening in any of my classes because it was very hard for me to function normally. When people are given hope or they have hope life can get a little bit easier for them. The only reason Red pursued living his life was because of what Andy told him that "hope was a good thing and maybe the best of things". Red, who used to think that "hope was a dangerous thing that can make a man insane" Changed his mind after he read the letter Andy wrote for him. The only thing that kept Andy sane was the hole he was digging through the wall, his only hope was that one day he will go through this hole he dug and that was what he was hoping for during his life in prison and that kept him sane throughout his prison experience. 

To conclude, hope is significant to have because without hope life can be unbearable. Having hope can open new doors for us and it can motivate us to do our best because part of hope is struggling and finding a solution and hope is what keeps you going towards that solution.