The Journey Towards Freedom
English 1002 Section-006
26 April 2012
The Journey Towards Freedom Throughout the film Shawshank Redemption (1994) directed by Frank Darabont, the audience watches as the protagonist goes through a compelling heroic journey. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is a young successful banker whose life is suddenly turned up-si-down when he is falsely accused of the murder of his wife and her lover. Following his conviction, Andy is sent to Shawshank prison where he faces a life sentence. Before long, Andy begins to befriend some of his fellow inmates and his journey towards freedom begins. Despite his powerless situation Andy acquires many achievements and manages to maintain his innocent. Although, to be a true hero, a character such as Andy must go through many stages and take on one of two personalities. According to Liz Warren and Linda Seger, in order to be a true hero, the protagonist must go through many stages and eventually reach a metamorphosis of his own character in the end of any myth. However, once he has done so and established himself or herself as a true hero, Robert Ray claims that they must fit one of two types of heroes; an outlaw or an official hero. Throughout the film Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne does in fact depict the stereotypical hero according to Liz Warren’s steps, Linda Seger’s order, and Robert Rays traits.
In the article “Steps of the Hero’s Journey” by Liz Warren, the author explains the process through which a protagonist must go through to become the ultimate hero. This article closely relates to the journey Andy Dufresne embarks upon. Each of Liz Warren’s ideas are categorized beneath three main headings.
The first category of Liz Warren’s ideas falls under the departure. At this time the protagonist embarks upon their adventure and begins to work towards the ultimate goal. The call to adventure is when something important happens that sends the person in a new direction (Warren A.1). For example when Andy was accused of
26 April 2012
The Journey Towards Freedom Throughout the film Shawshank Redemption (1994) directed by Frank Darabont, the audience watches as the protagonist goes through a compelling heroic journey. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is a young successful banker whose life is suddenly turned up-si-down when he is falsely accused of the murder of his wife and her lover. Following his conviction, Andy is sent to Shawshank prison where he faces a life sentence. Before long, Andy begins to befriend some of his fellow inmates and his journey towards freedom begins. Despite his powerless situation Andy acquires many achievements and manages to maintain his innocent. Although, to be a true hero, a character such as Andy must go through many stages and take on one of two personalities. According to Liz Warren and Linda Seger, in order to be a true hero, the protagonist must go through many stages and eventually reach a metamorphosis of his own character in the end of any myth. However, once he has done so and established himself or herself as a true hero, Robert Ray claims that they must fit one of two types of heroes; an outlaw or an official hero. Throughout the film Shawshank Redemption Andy Dufresne does in fact depict the stereotypical hero according to Liz Warren’s steps, Linda Seger’s order, and Robert Rays traits.
In the article “Steps of the Hero’s Journey” by Liz Warren, the author explains the process through which a protagonist must go through to become the ultimate hero. This article closely relates to the journey Andy Dufresne embarks upon. Each of Liz Warren’s ideas are categorized beneath three main headings.
The first category of Liz Warren’s ideas falls under the departure. At this time the protagonist embarks upon their adventure and begins to work towards the ultimate goal. The call to adventure is when something important happens that sends the person in a new direction (Warren A.1). For example when Andy was accused of
Cited: The Shawshank Redemption. Dir. Frank Darabont. Perf. Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton. RKO. 1994. Ray, Robert. “The Thematic Paradigm” Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture For Writers. St. Martin’s Press. Boston: Massachusetts 1994. Seger, Linda. “Creating the Myth” Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture For Writers. St. Martin’s Press. Boston: Massachusetts 1994. Warren, Liz. "Summary of the Steps of the Hero’s Journey." (1999): 1-4. Web.