This was one of the first movies I began to watch, to gain the knowledge of about what good films look like. It all started in 2012. Pretty late thinker, isn’t it? But it is always better to be late than never.
As I see it, the story depicts who actually deserves to redeem for a crime committed. It is the story of a man, convicted of murder, in support of circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately, Justice is blind and we can presume, hence, Law to be deaf because all that it abides by are logical reasons that will not hesitate to condemn a man who is shocked, being cheated on by his wife, but is too numb to kill her. This is what exactly happened to Andy Dufresne, an ordinary banker who was taken at unawares. In a majority of times, Justice and Law fail to identify the actual sinners creeping right under their nose. The only reason being that these lawmakers or protectors of the same are actually the ones raping it.
Though Law could take away from the man twenty good years of his life and his freedom, it could not take away his courage, and his determination born of knowledge, education, and a character. He had gained it all out of his interest once and that was what helped him escape the hell within another hell. It is a common saying that good things happen to good people, but there’s more I would like to add— ‘but with a price’. Every time Andy came close to spilling the truth, he would find himself thrust into solitary confinement by an apparently religious Warden.
Despite such adverse circumstances, Andy made his escape and told the world about the real face behind the Holy Warden of the Shawshank National Prison. He turned the character, created by the tainted Warden, against him, by means of a skillful plan.
Twenty years of prison served without having committed the crime, with the real convict under the same prison roof, and having the intelligence of that fact, it was too much to bear. But Andy did it; he was patient, and that made all the difference. Not just for himself, he fought for the rights of his fellow inmates when he discovered about the money laundering scandal. Eventually, as a fruit of his perseverance and patience, he had the real sinners redeem. The good thing had to happen because Life is not that unfair at all, for those who persevere. Therefore, the news of corruption and murder scam at Shawshank Penitentiary overshadowed Andy’s escape. Here is where, I think, the title gets its rightful significance.
The Lawmakers are the Lawbreakers and there could not be a better way to show it than the way it was shown in the movie. Those who have not yet watched this movie are missing out on a gem of an artwork. Such a powerful lesson it teaches us- that there are times when one could stand vulnerable to victimisation or conviction without being actually guilty. Life tells us to fight, to prove ourselves right, by hook or by crook. The hope, the patience, and trust in one’s self are all that it takes to emerge a victor.
itnavaacharya 