Relationship Between Characters: Shawshank Redemption
Shawshank Redemption:
Relationships Between Characters In the film “Shawshank Redemption” there is a character by the name of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is accused of murdering his wife and her lover. He is unjustly sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Prison. Andy, a quiet and stoic former banker, uses his skills to make friends with some of the inmates and even the prison staff. Andy becomes especially friendly with Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding. He puts his skills to use to earn himself and his friends privileges throughout his stay at Shawshank until he ultimately escapes from Shawshank almost 20 years later. Communicating with others allows us to meet basic needs for survival and safety as well as more abstract human needs for inclusion, esteem, self-actualization, and effective participation in a socially diverse world (Wood, 2013, p. 33). Andy Dufresne was introduced into a whole new world when he was sentenced to serve imprisonment at Shawshank. He was no longer established as he once was in the outside world. His survival in his new home would depend on his communication and relationships with the other inmates and prison staff. When the bus, transporting the future inmates of Shawshank, arrived at the prison all the current inmates gathered around the chain-linked fence. As the new prisoners stepped off the bus several of the current inmates instantly started betting on which one was going to break down during their first night there. The inmates would make their bets by judging the appearance of the new guys; without knowing it, the new prisoners were communicating non-verbally. Some would make their bets based on how physically fit the new prisoners looked or how emotionally unstable they looked. Red placed his bet on Andy because of his quiet demeanor. Unfortunately, for Red, Andy’s quiet demeanor was a sign of stoicism not fear or weakness. Andy was emotionally intelligent because although he knew he didn’t commit
Relationships Between Characters In the film “Shawshank Redemption” there is a character by the name of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) who is accused of murdering his wife and her lover. He is unjustly sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Prison. Andy, a quiet and stoic former banker, uses his skills to make friends with some of the inmates and even the prison staff. Andy becomes especially friendly with Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding. He puts his skills to use to earn himself and his friends privileges throughout his stay at Shawshank until he ultimately escapes from Shawshank almost 20 years later. Communicating with others allows us to meet basic needs for survival and safety as well as more abstract human needs for inclusion, esteem, self-actualization, and effective participation in a socially diverse world (Wood, 2013, p. 33). Andy Dufresne was introduced into a whole new world when he was sentenced to serve imprisonment at Shawshank. He was no longer established as he once was in the outside world. His survival in his new home would depend on his communication and relationships with the other inmates and prison staff. When the bus, transporting the future inmates of Shawshank, arrived at the prison all the current inmates gathered around the chain-linked fence. As the new prisoners stepped off the bus several of the current inmates instantly started betting on which one was going to break down during their first night there. The inmates would make their bets by judging the appearance of the new guys; without knowing it, the new prisoners were communicating non-verbally. Some would make their bets based on how physically fit the new prisoners looked or how emotionally unstable they looked. Red placed his bet on Andy because of his quiet demeanor. Unfortunately, for Red, Andy’s quiet demeanor was a sign of stoicism not fear or weakness. Andy was emotionally intelligent because although he knew he didn’t commit
Cited: Cooper, J. (2012, Feburary 29). Communication is Key. Retrieved from Examiner.com: http://www.examiner.com/article/communication-is-key Wood, J. T. (2012). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, Seventh Edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Inc.