When I was little I always thought my dad had the best job. My dad worked for the Federal Justice Department, he explained to me that his job was to make sure all the bad guys stayed locked up for good. In my eyes my dad was a type of superhero, keeping evil locked away. As I grew older his job lots the glitz and glam I thought it had and became more real to me. I loved hearing all the stories he came home with. I liked to think that not all the guys that were locked up were necessarily bad, he used to tell me that some of the most hardworking individuals come from a prison cell. When I asked my dad what his favorite movie was I thinking he would say a classic old movie that we had watched together before, instead he told me about a movie called The Shawshank Redemption. When I asked why him and I had never seen the movie together he told me that when I was older we would watch it. The day finally came when my dad invited me to watch his favorite movie with him. The movie was definitely not what I expected; The Shawshank Redemption directed by Frank Darabont is the story of Andy Dufresne, a convicted murderer and his journey while in prison. Andy faces many challenges but eventually overcomes all of this and is given many privileges that the other prisoners are not, in the end Andy uses these privileges to his advantage allowing him to pull off one amazing stunt. After viewing The Shawshank Redemption with my dad, I once again was fascinated with his job and wanted to hear all of his stories one more time.
One of the reasons The Shawshank Redemption is worth appreciating is because of its use of foreshadowing throughout the movie. One of the more famous examples of foreshadowing is in a scene where Red is talking to Andy. Andy describes the dream he as of getting out of prison and Red responds to him saying his dream is a “shitty pipe dream”. Later in the movie Andy’s great stunt is escaping prison through a sewer pipe. Another example of foreshadowing comes from a saying that Warden Norton uses several times during the movie, the Warden refers to the Bible many times telling Andy that “Salvation lies within” at the end of the movie Warden Norton finds Andy’s Bible that had been hollowed out to hid the rock hammer that Andy uses to make his escape. 
Another reason The Shawshank Redemption is worth appreciating is because of its use of symbolism. Symbolism can be seen throughout the movie and really unifies the entire movie. When Andy first gets to prison he talked to Red about getting him a poster of Rita Hayworth for his cell. At first the audience thinks this is just a harmless poster but the poster represents so much more especially to Andy, to Andy this poster represents hope. At the end of the movie the viewer comes to realize that the poster was used to cover up the hole in the wall Andy was working on. In Andy’s eyes the poster let him hold on to the outside world while also holding on to hope that one day he will escape. Another symbol that appears many times throughout the movie is rocks. Andy uses his rock collection to have a sense of normality while in prison. He also uses his amature geologist skills to help in in his escape, when Andy had rock from his escape route he would put it in his pant legs and dump it in the prison yard. Rocks to Andy served more of a purpose than to pass time they served as a sense of hope for Andy, that little by little he was moving toward this escape, to him the represented his freedom. 
The story of The Shawshank Redemption is one that is never to be forgotten. Andy’s struggle for freedom is one that the audience becomes instantly attached too. His struggles through prison are described in great detail making the audience connect to his story. Andy’s story is one that will forever be remembered because of its excellent use of foreshadowing and symbolism. The story would not be complete without the many symbols and hints that were incorporated to the movie. My dad and I now watch this movie together, each time commenting on something new. To this day I still hope one day my dad might come home with a story like Andy’s to tell but for now I am content sitting on the couch next to him watching our favorite movie.
