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Andy Dufresne's Redemption

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Andy Dufresne maintains his sense of freedom throughout the story. He does this by never giving up his hope, and he has a relatively positive attitude unlike the other prison inmates. This demonstrates the theme of redemption because he buys his own freedom by behaving in a way that has people believe that he is innocent. In the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, the theme of redemption is shown in the character of Andy Dufresne. “ In all my years at Shawshank, there have been less than ten men whom I believed when they told me they were innocent. Andy Dufresne was one of them, although I only became convinced of his innocence over a period of years. “ ( King. 4. ) In the beginning, Red is describing Andy’s arrival, and how he was different from the other …show more content…

Andy had to behave in a way that built Red’s trust, and that’s how Andy redeemed himself. Andy did many good things for many people. When he does the taxes for the guards, it gives him protection, but also provides his inmates with benefits. He asks the guards for things that he wouldn’t have been able to ask for before he started doing the taxes. He established relationships with the guards so that he could get stuff. Andy has redeems himself with an inner light that he carries around with him, and that’s how he gets through prison life. “ A sense of his own worth, maybe, or a feeling that he would be the winner in the end… or maybe it was only a sense of freedom, even inside these goddamned grey walls. It was a kind of inner light he carried around with him. “ ( King. 27. ) This shows that Red is affected by Andy’s personality because Andy isn’t being beaten down by the prison, and never doubts himself or his beliefs. Red is describing the ways that Andy was different from everybody

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