I just finished the story Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and it was just touching and awesome.The ending was just the climax of the story. After years of hard times, easy times, and just plain out brutal, because of hope and man can reach his dreams and do everything else too. Although, compared to the movie the ending of the book was just part of the great ending in the movie. The movie adds a sort of proud moment when revenge is sought out and accomplished when the movie just comes up short of the finish line. Although, as the total experience, I looks at books and movies differently now because of this whole project, I know more than I did before and I’m glad. I have to give Stephen King credit for making such a good story out of such a small amount of pages. Then, I have to give credit to Frank Darabont too because he turned a small book into a full length movie and did it almost flawlessly. Overall the book was good, the movie was great and I’m glad I’m able to do my project on such a good story.
The movie The Shawshank Redemption is a story of a banker named Andy Dufresne who found out his wife was having a fair and was leaving him for her real lover. Well it turns out later that night that night Andy's wife and her lover were both murdered. Andy claims to be innocent, but the judge was disgusted and he sentenced Andy to two life sentences at Shawshank Prison. Andy goes through hell and back in prison. He comes to prison quiet and the older prisoners don’t like that. They think that Andy thinks he is better than prison and better than them. Although, after Andy started to help the guards and the wardens with financial needs, he received a sort of protection against other prisoners. Although, the staff still treated him like dirt, and eventually at the end Andy gets them all back.
The two main actors are Morgan Freeman who plays Ellis “Red” Redding, and Tim Robbins who plays Andy Dufresne. Morgan Freeman has acted in movies such as Driving Miss Daisy, Invictus, and Bruce Almighty. Tim Robbins has played in movies such as War of Worlds, The Player, and Twister. The director is Frank Darabont who is known for movies like The Green Mile, and The Walking Dead. The movie and novel are more identical than different. In the movie, there were no scenes left out, but there were scenes added. In the movie, the end which is arguably the most touching part of the movie is not present in the book; it was from the mind of Frank Darabont. The most differences were the characters and what role they took. For example, in the book there are four wardens in between Andy’s tenor, when in the movie there is only one warden. Then there are a lot of characters made into one, where two characters actions are turned into the actions of one person. I personally believe the casting was spot on. The characters fit with their actions and the actors depicted the characters perfectly. Although, while reading I already had a visual of the characters because I had seen the movie before I read the book, so I visualized everything I read easily. A classic is timely, it resembles the time in which it was written. My book Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, in my personal opinion isn’t timely. It takes place in a prison, and is just the life of a man sent to prison who is determined that he is innocent, and he just tries to survive. This whole story takes place from 1940 to 1960’s, and I don’t really think prisons made a big impact on that time. Although, a classic is also timeless, and I believe this story is timeless story. It shows that after patience, resilience, and simply beating the odds you can reach your goal or your dream. This story resembles hope, and how it can set you free.
A classic is around years after it first appears. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption isn’t really spoken of today. Although, it is one of Stephen King’s most remembered and best rated story, but that doesn’t make it a classic. The story has been around for twenty eight years and is still being sold in book stores, so that could be considered “around” for many years. The story is very well written, so that might be why it is still being published and sold. The language and connections being made in the writing goes hand and hand with the setting and time of the story. This makes this story unique because it is a man who never lost hope, and he eventually prevailed over all and received his dreams and received his redemption. That’s why I think this book is a classic Andy Dufresne is the main character of both my book and movie. Andy is a tall, skinny, young, the book describes him a man with a certain walk and talk about him like he thought he was better than everyone else in the prison. Emotionally Andy Dufresne was distraught. He had been sent to prison for murder when he knew he was innocent, and now he was stuck in a new place with new people, and he was not having the best time with the other prisoners and he wasn’t having the best time fitting in. Andy was different from most prisoners; he was quieter but he never lost his mind like many new prisoners. He kept to himself, but many prisoners didn’t like that because they thought Andy thought he was better than all of them. Mentally Andy Dufresne was kind of in a weird place. He was sitting in prison, but his mind was on how his life was over and how he’ll never live normal life again. Personality wise, Andy was the sort to tell it like it is, and what happens happens.
I can’t exactly decide whether I would be friends with Andy Dufresne because different factors come into play. First, I like his tell it like it is attitude because the truth shouldn’t be covered and things shouldn’t have to be held in your mind until it drives you crazy. Although, the way Andy comes off as he better than you because he was successful and educated, and I think if you think you’re better than someone then you need to just not show it because somewhere out there, there is someone better than you. Andy Dufresne did fit in when he was an educated banker, and was married and didn’t have a scratch on his name. Although, when he was accused of murder, he was looked at as a criminal and really didn’t fit in at all with society. Then, when he got to prison he didn’t fit in because he seemed too “different” and quiet. Andy had to make a big decision when he found out he could prove his innocence, and he knew the man that really killed his wife and her lover. He had to decide whether to tell the warden on not. The warden would probably think he is crazy and he is just trying to get out of prison, but is Andy didn’t tell the warden he would have the truth stuck in his mind for the rest of his life. Andy eventually did tell the warden, in which they argued then Andy was put in the “hole” (a small dark room) for a month. I agree with Andy because holding information such as that would hold anyone crazy and why leave the chance for freedom sitting. My book is Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. I think my authors style is more mellow but realistic. King describes very in times vulgar events although speaks of them like nothing. He makes events like rape sound like nothing ever happened. The genre of the book is drama and it takes place in a prison and is in the point of view of a murderer sentence to life in prison. Knowing that, I feel that the author’s style fits perfectly with the genre and setting. Since all these words are being spoken out of a long term prisoner’s mouth, this man has probably seen everything or have experienced a lot of what he is describing, so these events like rape and murder aren’t any surprise or shock to him, there nothing out of the ordinary. Since, Stephen King writes like this I enjoy the book a lot more than I usually would. This is because he captures the realism of what is happening and the setting it is happening in. When he writes the way he does I can actually imagine a prisoner speaking to me. Although, after watching the movie first I already have a voice like Morgan Freeman in my head, but Stephen King still captures the sound and tone of an experienced prisoner and I really like that. I personally think Stephen King perfected the style for this genre of stories. I have no suggestions for his style I really think he perfected it.
The setting of my book is Shawshank prison. Immediately I though "oh god another prison story," although this book has really changed my outlook on prison books and movies. The setting is almost like your there. It’s something you can imagine in your head and you already have an idea of the described setting. The setting pulls you into the story because it resembles the brutality that prisoners suffered in the mid 1900’s. I believe the brutality of the prison is the whole reason the ending is so good. You realize that this innocent man was locked up in such a horrible place and when he finally redeems himself, I as the reader feel redeemed myself. The story wouldn’t be as good unless the setting was the way it is. The reason that I feel redeemed is because after knowing this guy is going through this tough time for no reason I feel so bad for him. No man’s life should be taken away for no reason, just like it says in my book. “They put you in here for life, and that’s exactly what they take.”
Then when the setting changes to the outside of the prison, that’s when you feel a sense of happiness. The trail to redemption had started and now you know the nightmare is over. To be screwed over for year after year, he is the one standing tall in the rain a free man. That setting gives you the idea of the whole message of the book and that is to never lose hope. Like it says in the book “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.” If you lose hope you lost a point to keep moving on in life. The setting outside the prison is powerful and epic because he never lost sight of hope. He was the one who prevailed in the end. After reading my story for the second day I have noticed pretty recognizable differences in the movie and story of The Shawshank Redemption. Throughout the book the background characters or the non main characters often change throughout the story, but in the movie the characters are the same throughout the movie and are very important characters in the plot. This leaves me wondering why the director decided to keep these characters the same, and to change the way the plot works in the book. Otherwise to my surprise all the other events and characters are the exact same and are in the same order. I realize how much the director of the movie studied the story and wrote the screenplay to resemble the book, and I appreciate that. One thing that I am experiencing with reading the book is that something just doesn’t make sense. It's not the story that doesn't make sense but it's the way Stephen King worded it. This frustrates me because I feel as if I'm missing something and I don't like that. Also, Stephen King throughout the book has almost vulgar descriptions and I am left thinking, why? Why would you want to write that? Although, on the other hand I appreciate that because it's almost like his attitude is "it's my book, I can write it if I want, and if you don't like it then don't read it." This is one of the reasons I love Stephen King's work because he brings a sense of realness to his works and that's something else I appreciate. So far the book is great and I'm just about done. If the ending in the book is like the ending in the movie it's sure to be a win in my book.
I just started reading Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption today, and I simply love it so far. It's not what I had expected from Stephen King knowing he usually writes horror novels. I've read a lot of Stephen King books but after reading the first 30 some pages of this book, it has really stood out for me. It starts off with a banker named Andy Dufresne who found out his wife was having a fair and was leaving him for her real lover. Well it turns out later that night that night Andy's wife and her lover were both murdered. Andy claims to be innocent, but the judge was disgusted and he sentenced Andy to two life sentences at Shawshank Prison. Now, little did I know that story really hadn't begun yet. The way Stephen King captures the prison life in the mid 1900's amazes me. I feel almost as if I'm right there in the exercise yard dealing with Red for a pack of cigarettes or a poster. Although, I have felt his descriptions of certain things are distasteful but I was nothing to stop me from reading. Andy's hard life in the beginning of his time at Shawshank was sad to read but how the real hard times ended wasn't anything short of awesome. From what I've read I can tell this will be great book especially after watching the wonderful movie which isn't much different from the novel so far. Stephen King really has outdone himself do far and I can't wait to read more.
| Ben HigginsWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. CategoriesArchivesApril 2012 
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