The Shawshank Redemption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Shawshank Redemption - Essay Example Since the movie is an adaptation of the book, it has certain dissimilarities and differences from the book. Some of the major differences are discussed. These cinematic changes did not really change the flavour of the story and probably the adaptation was necessary to bring out the real essence of the story in the movie. The first difference was the arrival of new prisoners. In the movie, the old prisoners bet with each other on which of the new prisoners would be the one to break down and cry. This is not mentioned in the story though there is a short reference towards the end about "cry baby" inmates, and how Andy was not one of them. The second point of difference was regarding the warden. In the story, the money Andy has in Mexico is his own, which had been invested under a fictional name by Andy’s friend as Andy was being taken into custody, tried, and convicted. The story also does not talk about how he dressed up after climbing through the sewage pipe. Additionally in t he story Warden Norton resigns, rather than committing suicide in his office as the police are standing outside his door. While in the movie, it is shown that Andy kept a second set of books for the warden, in a locker in the wall, and he channelled all the money into another account under an assumed name. When he ran away from the prison (wearing a set of the Warden Norton’s clothes) this is the capital he used to finance his new life in Mexico. Also in the novella, at the time Andy was in the prison, three wardens were at Shawshank, while in the movie only one warden is shown. The third disparity was with respect to the oldest inmate, Brookes. In the story, the oldest inmate Brooks dies in an old peoples’ home. And the crow which is shown as Brooks’s pet in the movie is actually a pigeon. It is a pet of another inmate and not Brooks. In the movie Jake who is a pet crow belongs to Brooks who sets it free once he is paroled. After just a short span of time out o f Shawshank, Brooks commits suicide by hanging himself in his room. The movie does not show give any future reference about the bird but in the story the bird is found dead in the yard one week later it was set free. Continuing the discussion on difference in the literary, Andy initially uses Rita Hayworth’s poster to hide his increasing get away tunnel. He then uses Raquel Welch’s poster, and by the time he finally flees from Shawshank, he has Linda Ronstadt’s poster to cover the mouth of the tunnel. Additionally there were three other posters were also mentioned in the story, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Hazel Court. In comparison, in the celluloid version of the story, Andy first poster is of Rita Hayworth and when he flees, the mouth of the tunnel is covered by Raquel Welch’s poster. In the novella Warden Norton rips down the poster without realizing there is a gap there while in the cinema, he pelts rocks and one of them tears through the post er, and that is how the getaway excavation is revealed. Further in the cinema the mean and nasty prison guard Byron Hadley is arrested in the same sweep that causes the warden's suicide; in the story, he has a heart attack and retires much before the escape of Andy. The last scene of the movie shows Red walking towards Andy who is working on a boat on a beach. The book ends after Red finds the message and cash from Andy, and is on his way to Mexico. In the story he hopes, "that Andy is down there" and he also hopes that he can cross the border