Overcoming the Odds: Symbols of Freedom

As a theme in film or literature, freedom is often shown through the experiences of a character who has been unjustly enslaved. Contrasting the basic human right to freedom with an unfair imprisonment makes a clear distinction between right and wrong, justice and injustice, and humanity and inhumanity. In their different version of Shawshank Redemption, author Stephen King and director Frank Darabont clearly make these distinictions using a bird, a library, and a poster as …

…own personal freedom is taken away when he is falsely convicted of murder. Then, Andy "steals" his freedom back by force with a daring escape. The bird, the library, and the poster show us different physical and psychological aspects of this process. Each symbol reveals a facet of Andy and his drive to recover his freedom. In this way, Andy's escape from Shawshank proves the ultimate triumph of the human spirit over injustice and inhumanity.