What is it to be human? No, really. Ask yourself, what about the human experience that truly
unites us? Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption and George Owell’s 1984, although
seemingly worlds apart, create a powerful and complementary exploration of resilience,
rebellion, and hope. Both texts craft worlds which demonstrate the human response to
oppression, making Shawshank Redemption perfect to deepen understanding of ideas explored
in 1984. So, sit back and relax; allow me to expand.
In the grim totalitarian society painted by Orwell, it is easy to understand how deeply oppressive
systems can strip away humanity. Orwell uses protagonist Winston to question: How much can
the human spirit endure? Here's where The Shawshank Redemption comes in: Darabont
presents Andy, a man in a corrupt prison who, through quiet acts of rebellion, refuses to break.
Conversely - Spoiler alert!- 1984 demonstrates how, no matter Winston's desire to retain some
individuality, the Party is still able to force him to submit. Contrastingly, The Shawshank
Redemption presents a more optimistic outcome : Darabont offers redemption for Andy as he
escapes prison and is ultimately able to take control of his life.
But how: How do these composers effectively portray the human condition? How does
Shawshank Redemption mirror Orwell's purpose in 1984? Within the face of oppression, there is
a choice; to succumb to pressure or to push against it. Protagonists Winson and Andy are both
met with a final obstacle: Winston is tortured with his worst fear (rats) in the terrifying Room 101,
while Andy escapes prison through a sewage pipe during a raging storm. When Winston is
tortured, he screams “Do it to her! Not me!”, an emotional moment as Winston pleads for the
pain he is experiencing to be inflicted on his lover, Julia. The dramatic irony is that Winston had
made a promise to never betray Julia, so his oppressors, the Party, are victorious. Brutal, am I
right! However, as Andy exits the sewer, special weather effects create a pathetic fallacy as he
throws his hands up in pouring rain, finally washed clean both physically and metaphorically of
his oppressors. Liberation for Andy is purification from the deeply unjust system he has
escaped. Resilience and determination is what moves Andy through adversity, while Winston
succumbs, making Darabont's film a perfect companion to Orwell's novel in order to explore
human reaction to pressure.
To be human is to rebel, and both texts portray the indomitable human spirit through small acts
of rebellion. Winston’s relationship with Julia is against Party values, so when they illegally
meet, Winston reflects “The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was
thoughtcrime.” This societal paradox portrays the idea that an ordinary act is a form of uprising
against the government, simply having “desire” is a crime. Winston taking part symbolises his
actualisation of previously internalised rebellious feelings. A “milestone” act of mutiny is also
portrayed in Shawshank when Andy rebels, playing Mozart's opera over the prison speakers to
show the prisoners that beauty and hope can be present even in dark places. The diegetic
music in this scene is emphasised in the panning shot of the prisoners looking up in response to
the music. This becomes a non-diegetic voice over, encapsulating this moment of optimism.
What happens when humans are subjected to extreme, suffocating and oppressive conditions?
Well, Darabont and Orwell suggest that they will do anything it takes to cling onto hope. In 1984,
a society where hope is systematically crushed, Winston holds belief in the proles- the working
class majority- to catalyse change as he writes, “if there is hope, it lies in the proles”. Orwell
crafts the proles as symbolism for uncorrupted humanity, and by imagining a future where the
proles could rebel, Winston resists the Party's efforts to eliminate autonomy, hopeful that
freedom might still be possible. Darabont shows hope forging endurance. Following Andy's
escape, he writes a letter to his friend Red; where, in a non-diegetic voiceover, he says “ "Hope
is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." using hyperbole to
emphasise the persistence of hope. For Andy, it is what sustains his vision of life beyond
Shawshank, even when all else seems lost.
Finally; a dive into Shawshank Redemption can truly illuminate understanding of George
Orwell's messages about resilience, rebellion, and hope within oppressive societies. THAT’S
what it means to be HUMAN.