Institutionalism A Theme developed in Shawshank Redemption

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Institutionalism A Theme developed in Shawshank
Redemption
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Convicted criminals are sent to prison to be
rehabilitated so that one day they will no longer
pose a threat to citizens on the outside.
This is not the case at Shawsank
Prison
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Shawshank, in Reality, is a Place of Permenant
Confinment, and Institutionalism

• Its system strives to eliminate the tiniest of
  hope of freedom from their prisoners.
• Shawshanks system in action is shown through the
  character Brooks.

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Brooks Institutionalized

• Early on in the movie Brooks, a prisoner in the
  jail for over 50 years, discovers he will soon be
  set free. Brooks is horrified, and attacks an
  inmate in hopes his act of violence will revoke
  his parole.
• Its the only way theyll let me stay!

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Reds Words About Brooks

• These walls are funnyfirst you hate them, then
  you get used to them, then you depend on
  themthats institutionalized.
• They send you hear for life, thats exactly what
  they take, the part that counts anyway.
• In here hes somebody, out there hes nobody.
• Brooks has been in prison too long to know how
  to function on the outside world.

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Brooks on the Outside

• The Shawshank Redemption films a montage to show
  viewers Brooks experience as a free man.
• Narration
• Medium shot on bus
• Work
• He has trouble sleeping
• Long Shot of Crossing Street
• Buying Gun
• Send me home.
• Long shot in park
• Close-up of hands

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Institutionalism Brookss Demise

• Brooks commits suicide because he is unable to
  cope with life outside of prison.
• As he is preparing for his death viewers see a
  close-up of his face smiling through the railings
  of the ceilings pillar.
• This signifies that Brooks was a happy man in
  prison. He does not like his freedom. He commits
  suicide to escape it.

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Reds Comments

• When Red and Andy hear the news of Brookss death
  Reds reaction is, He should have died in here.
• Brooks should have died at home

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The Force of Institutionalism The Warden and
the Prison System

• The Warden presents the image of a religious man
  who would like to see his inmates rehabilitated
  by the power of God
• Cross-stitch
• Bible
• In reality the Warden is an evil, corrupt man who
  could not care less about his prisoners.
• Bible and cross-stitch used to hide true
  personna.
• Uses inmates as slave labor for his work program.
• Does not allow Andy to leave prison, and kills
  Billy the only person who could testify to Andys
  innocence.

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• The parole board is an example of how Shawshanks
  prison system is a force of institutionalism.
• Reds parole hearings
• Routieness of his answers
• Yes sirwithout a doubtno danger to society
  here
• Close-up of Rejected Stamp
• Viewers can see the cold-blooded murderer in Red
  no longer exists. They know he is a changed man,
  a good man, but yet the parole continues to deny
  him the freedom he deserves.

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Andy A Force Working Against Institutionism

• Andy hangs on to the life he lived before he was
  sent to prison.
• Montage of taxes for guards
• Andy has hope.
• He spreads it throughout prison by playing music
• Montage of prisoners listening to record player
• Giving the Harmonica to Red
• Instrument of music
• Andy gives this to Red after his parole is
  rejected
• Andy tries to give Red hope so he can avoid the
  same fate as Brookss
• Red will not play it for Andy
• Later on when he is alone in cell gives it one
  small whistle

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• Andy confronts Warden on his policies of
  institutionalism when he rejects his plea for a
  new trial.
• Calls him Obtuse
• His actions are deliberate. He wants to keep Andy
  in prison.
• Andy escapes from prison.
• Spends 20 years digging a tunnel
• Crawls through septic pipe
• Arial shot when reaches the outside.

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Get Bust Living or Get Busy Dying

• Andy recognizes the importance to have hope and
  to live for something, or else life isnt worth
  living. Andy refuses to sit in his cell for 80
  years and wait to die.
• The hope of one day returning to the outside
  world is what allows him to regain his freedom at
  the end of the film.