Shawshank Redemtion
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank redemption is all about relationships, there are many that influence Andy (the main character). He changes in many different ways throughout the book, these relationships influence the different ways Andy changes. The relationship I would like to discuss is one between Red and Andy. The relationship between Red and Andy is more brotherly like because they look out for each other.
During the opening of the book Red and Andy aren’t very close they talk but not very much. Andy only asks Red for small things like a rock hammer to make small figurines, and later we find out that Andy used the hammer to dig out of Shawshank. But as the story progresses Red and Andy’s bond grows stronger until the day that Red is released from prison. This relationship is strong and when they find out that Red has killed himself, Andy punishes himself.
This Changes Andy because Red looked after Andy and felt that it was his fault that Red killed himself. Another relationship that changes Andy is the one he has with Brooks. This relationship started when Andy was down in the basement doing some work and discovered that Shawshank had a library. This is how Brooks and Andy’s relationship became to be. Once they began to work together things began to change, Andy began to influence other prisoners to read.
He and Brooks begin to “hang out” in the exercise yard. They discuss new ideas for the library, like expanding it and bringing a program to get inmates their high school diplomas. This changes Andy by giving Andy something to look forward to everyday, and something to achieve while he’s in prison. The final relationship that has a major impact on the way Andy changes throughout the book is the one he has with Warden Norton.
This relationship is a kind of relationship that isn’t one I’d appreciate as a person because Warden Norton treats Andy like a piece of garbage. Warden Norton wants Andy to stay in the prison because he balances the finances the prisons money. Warden Norton also wants Andy to stay in the prison because he doesn’t want Andy to find out that he was set up for the murder of his wife and her lover, by the Warden Norton himself. This relationship changes Andy by making him glum and gloomy and wanting even more to get out of Shawshank.
