Something Inside: Hope and the Inner Life in The Shawshank Redemption

“[H]ope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”

• The Shawshank Redemption

In this episode of Risking Enchantment, Rachel and Phoebe discuss one of the most highly acclaimed and best beloved films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption. Released in 1994, it slowly grew to prominence, now dominating the top rank on lists of best movies. What draws audiences to this story of Andy Dufrense, a quiet man sent to prison for the murder of his wife and her lover? We explore the film’s themes of hope and the building up of a rich inner life, as well as its masterful storytelling and even the biblical influences to be found in its symbolism. 

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Phoebe Watson

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Works Referenced

 

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Bishop Barron: Andy Dufrense as a Christ figure

The Hidden Meaning of the Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank's Hollowed-Out Bible

On Fairy-Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien

Spe salvi by Pope Benedict XVI

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Phoebe: Calamity Jane

Rachel: To Catch a Thief / The Stella Cinema, Dublin