Shawshank Redemption - "Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying."

"Get busy living, or get busy dying." Possibly the best quote of the entire story!

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"

"Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Plot

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption while a rather long short story is stuffed full with plot. Red, the narrator jumps back and forth from story to story, not one of them lacking in information or interest. Red's stories leading up to the surprise ending are full of details, whether it be Andy's fights with the sisters and being beaten "within an inch of his life," inside information on the wardens, or the successes and failures of prison escapes, Red knew it all. This knowledge of prison life from the time he entered to the time he was paroled allow Red as the narrator to help the story to progress and to effectively produce the story as an interesting page turner for all readers. The organization of the story allows the reader to get the information in the same manner that Red received information. His experience in receiving information often comes in bits and pieces, but he gives it to the reader as a whole so they may better understand the full situation.

"I was saying that I'd only ask three beers apiece for my co-workers, if that seems fair," Andy said. "I think a man feels more like a man when he's working out of doors in the springtime if he can have a bottle of suds. That's only my opinion. It would go down smooth, and I'm sure you'd have their gratitude" (page 46).

While reading this story, I spotted one major turning point within the plot. This was when Andy spoke up to the warden and said that he could help to fix his problem with the government taking away his money. The turning point occurs when Andy requests that his coworkers be given "three beers apiece." I found this as a major turning point because it is placing Andy on the same level as the prison guards and the warden in some ways. Although they do not see it this way, it gives Andy certain privileges that other prisoners are not allowed. Ultimately, it is because of these privileges (i.e. his own cell, building up the library, possible access to layouts of the building, and being protected from heavy searches of his room and from other inmates) that Andy is able to dig his way out of prison.

Point of View

"I'll tell you what I know and what I think; that's about all I can do, isn't it?"

-I find this quote to sum up Red pretty darn well. He constantly shares everything he knows, not leaving anything out. If this doesn't make for the perfect re-teller of a story, I don't know what does.

By telling "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" from the point of Red's perspective, the reader is given the full story from times before Andy was imprisoned and after. The perspective and views of many people are revealed through Red because he is "the guy who can get it for you." This also lets Red in on many happenings within the prison as he is well known and important in the prison. this perspective also allows the reader to know exactly what happened to Andy after he escaped. Red is also a credible source because he states when stories may contain some rumors and when his re-tellings were experienced first hand. Ultimately, Red is the best narrator because he was closest to Andy.

Throughout the story, the reader is led to believe that this story is about Andy and his freedom, but it is at the end that Red reveals the real reason behind telling Andy's story. He says that it is because "Andy was the part of [him] they could never lock up." In other words, this story was to express Red's fears and excitements about freedom and the challenges he would face. It was to express all of the things Red wishes he could have done and all of the people he wishes he could have stood up to. It is ultimately a story of freedom and being uncaged, therefore Red makes the perfect narrator as he expresses all of the rejoicing and happiness he feels within himself when Andy and hopefully himself are set free.

Characterization

Throughout this story, Red introduces many minor characters through direct and indirect characterization. For instance, the Sisters are introduced with a mixture of direct and indirect characterization. Red says, "they're (the sisters) are usually long-timers, doing hard bullets for brutal crimes." This shows direct characterization as Red is describing the sisters directly. While he states over and over again that the sisters are brutal rapists, it is not until he describes one particular situation when Andy stood up against the sisters threatening to bite off certain things, that the reader is shown the true brutality and personalities of the sisters. Red introduces the many wardens and other prisoners in the same fashion.

The two main characters in this story are Red and Andy Dufresne. These two characters help to illuminate the characteristics in each other. They are strong foil characters as Red is the "man who can get anything," while Andy "had a reputation for being a snob." Red was ready to make deals with people, he was talkative and friendly. Andy would rather be left alone to go about his own business. While both characters are open about the reasons they have been imprisoned, Andy is innocent, while Red is guilty. Also, Andy is positive and hopeful toward freedom. Red is scared of the outside world and even says that he is "an institutional man." These differences allow the two characters to get along and to illuminate each other's characteristics.

Setting

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" is set in a prison for the majority of the story. The different setting within the prison, the cell, the exercise yard, the library, the laundry room, the bathrooms, and the roof, reveal to the reader in some ways as to what is going to take place. For instance, the laundry room is often a place for the Sisters to rape inmates and Andy, so when this setting is introduced, the reader can suspect what is going to happen next. The library is a place where Andy is protected and in his comfort zone. The exercise yard is often where Andy's and Red's interactions take place. All of these different settings come together to produce the story as a whole.

The outside world while talked about often does not become part of the major setting until the end of the story after Andy escapes and Red is released. At this point in time, it becomes an essential part of the work as a whole. The outside world is seen by Red as a place of uncertainty and terror. It is a place where he is no longer "the guy who can get it for you." This change in plot also marks an important change in the character of Red. While he was afraid of nothing and hopeless of freedom on the inside, on the outside, he shows hope for a new life and freedom.

"I hope Andy is down there... I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

Theme

Theme is possibly one of the most difficult aspects of a story to narrow down.

One theme that I felt the narrator laid out clearly was the theme of rejoicing for

things being set free.

"Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all... And the part of you that knows

it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where

you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure" (page 101).

This quote pretty much sums up the theme of this whole section. The whole story

leads up to Andy's freedom and the enjoyment it causes among all of the

prisoners.

This theme also leads into the second theme I found inspiring during

this story which is a theme of hope. I found this theme throughout the story. When

Andy shows hope in getting out of prison and he speaks of moving to Zihuatanejo,

Mexico, he expresses hope for the future and hope for freedom. His hope also

ignites some hope in Red as when he gets out of prison, Andy is the only thing that

keeps him from going right back. He has "hope to see [his] friend and shake his

hand." I found this theme of hope to be very inspiring. If these two men can show a

ray of hope in the most difficult situations, then I should be able to express hope

within my daily life.

"This second type of guy knows there's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst."

"Miss Brill" by:Katherine Mansfield

This story seemed to be very odd. Miss Brill would do the same thing every weekend (people watch), but she was turned down by a young couple and even made fun of this specific time. Toward the end of the story, I began to feel sympathetic toward Miss Brill because it was like she was in a never ending cycle and she seemed to be unhappy with her life. Not only was she unhappy, but she was also alone. I saw the fur animal like scarf as the only thing she had that was near and important to her. Yet, this was one of the things that the young couple put down and made fun of. When reading this, I realized that even when you speak badly about strangers, they will be affected by this. I felt sympathy for Miss Brill because of her sad life and because of how upset she got at the end when the highlight of her week was ruined because of a young couple making fun of her within earshot. At the end, when the narrator says that "she heard something crying," I saw this as Miss Brill crying, but she refused to admit that it was in fact she who's feelings were hurt.

"Once Upon a Time" by: Nadine Gordimer

I found this story to be very ironic. The parents, housemaid, and the husband's mother spent the entire story attempting to keep the home safe and to protect their family, but in the end, it was this protection that tore the family apart, killing the boy. It was also ironic that the narrator began the story talking about children's books and saying she has been asked to right one and ended the story with a tragic death of a young boy. Personally, I find the narrator to be extremely demented and scary. Maybe the worst part of the whole story is that this is her bed-time story. She even goes as far as to compare the young boys "adventure" to his death with Sleeping Beauty. I don't think I'll ever look at that fairytale the same again. I also noticed that in the last paragraph after the boy has been freed, the narrator refers to him as an "it." I took this as the narrator saying that the boy had been so mangled that he no longer looked recognizable and therefore, had become an it instead of a him. I found this entire story to be very disturbing and demented.

"A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty

When reading this story about an old Grandma whom I thought had Alzheimer's, I found myself getting caught up in whether or not the grandson was alive or not. I first questioned whether or not he was alive when Phoenix forgot why she was going into town and forgot all about her grandson until the doctor reminded her why she had come. This seemed suspicious because it seemed that if Phoenix couldn't remember what she was doing, she might be blocking out hurtful or painful events such as her grandson's death. I also found it odd that the doctor asked if Phoenix's grandson was still alive. I thought that maybe the doctor was asking to detect if Phoenix had come to terms with the death yet or if she was still holding on. Question 6 talks about the author's response to the question of whether or not the grandson is alive. The author responds by saying "Phoenix is alive." I realized after reading this question that it is not the grandson whom the story is focused on but Phoenix. The fact as to the grandson being alive or dead does not matter. The way I look at it, either way the grandmother is still doing a loving and caring act even if her grandson is dead.

"Eveline" by James Joyce

Throughout this story, Eveline evaluates her situation and is talking about leaving Dublin to start a new life with Frank. It is not until she is about to board the ship that Eveline finally decides not to go with Frank and to go back to her father. I think that while her judgement of abandoning her family and the two young children she had been put in charge of played a role in her choosing not to go, she was also somewhat stuck in Dublin because of her being afraid of change. Her judgement was somewhat twisted in this story because her father was verbally abusive to her and physically abusive toward her brothers and he was an alcoholic but she still felt obligated to him. Personally, I find this odd because I would think she would feel obligated toward Frank because of all that he had done for her. I believe that she did not really make a conscious decision to not go with Frank until she was sitting at station. Her "decision" wasn't really so much of a decision as it was her being unable to make a decision because she was paralyzed with emotions. I think that in the end, it was this paralyzes that cause Eveline to refuse to go with Frank.

"Hunters in the Snow" by: Tobias Wolff

This short story was successful in baffling me over and over again. It first baffled me when Tub shot Kenny and nobody acted like it was that big of a deal. The men decided to drive Kenny to the hospital and they dropped him down the driveway, put him in the trunk of the car, stopped to warm up, stopped a second time to warm up and had a whole meal, took his blanket away from him to keep themselves warm, and turned away from the hospital instead of toward it. All of these odd events led to the characterization of Tub and Frank. It is because of these events that the reader learns that Tub is a habitual eater and Frank is going to leave his wife for a 14 year old. Also, Tub's and Frank's relationship grows because of the events that unfold, but this is at the expense of Kenny's life. I found this all to be very odd, but it was included in the plot to express the character's personalities.

I was also slightly confused by the ending. When Frank and Tub took "a different turn a long way back" were they returning home or did they just accidentally go the wrong way? I also wondered if they had planned to let Kenny die all along because this is definitely how it seemed to me.