Why Should You Never Miss Out on ‘Shawshank Redemption’

Released in 1994, people are still raving about “Shawshank Redemption” as if it was released just today. This movie has people circling the cinemas and their devices. Not only because of young Morgan Freeman but also because of the life lessons this movie teaches us.

If you dislike feeling trapped and appreciate freedom, this movie is definitely for you. Oozing with the theme of hope, “Shawshank Redemption” acts like a really good therapist on our dark days.

Just like Andy was forcefully stuck in prison when he didn’t commit any crime, we sometimes feel the same way. It could be the end of our day at work, and we feel as if we are being tortured. Or it could be a claustrophobic place generally. But we must never lose hope, for hope is the essential element we need to live our life.

If you haven’t watched “Shawshank Redemption”, you’ll be motivated to watch it by this article’s end; as we discuss some really good themes and lessons we observed in the movie.

Show sadness that you’re in-charge

The person living your life is you, and the person in charge is, not a doubt there, yourself. You make the rules. The feeling of sadness tends to eat you alive when you try to ignore it, so don’t let yourself fall into the dirty jokes of despair.

Andy Dufresne – the main character, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was not the best day for him when he was imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her tennis-pro lover. But the catchphrase is that; he didn’t do it. His only mistake was that he let himself get angry, drunk, and hold a gun.

Sure, Andy Dufresne was depressed to see his wife cheating on him, but he took the phrase “Show sadness that you’re in charge” way too seriously. It was meant for his feelings and emotions, not his wife! Unfortunately, his uncontrolled emotions made him fall into a seemingly endless pothole that people call a ‘Shawshank prison.’

Feel yourself but don’t lose yourself

What could Andy have done to stop himself from dying in prison? Nothing? Wrong. Andy does his best to come face-to-face with his real self and redeem his mistakes (not that he had many). But he could only control himself inside his mind. You don’t need a physical barrier if you can make a mental one. Because our thoughts create our reality before our reality makes our thoughts.

Hope is the thing that makes you fly.

If you think having hope is dangerous because you tend to fall into despair, you’re caging yourself in your mental barrier. When Andy was tortured, violated, and used, he never once lost hope. When Andy says he has music in his mind, he doesn’t mean actual music.

Andy’s music is his hope. Andy doesn’t forget this music and keeps on listening to it. After redeeming his mistakes, Andy never forgot about his music, which helped him fly away.

Freedom can be seen from the depths of sadness.

Just as they say there is light at the end of the tunnel, Andy got out of prison after 19 years of struggle, torture, and disparity. All the negative events of his life could’ve made him live out his life in prison, but he didn’t let it happen. His music was too strong for people’s words.

And so can ours. If we feel trapped to the point that we think the only way to escape is to be unalive, we must remember that our music is even stronger than any problem. Our music must never be silenced.

Where to watch “Shawshank Redemption”?

If this article successfully motivated you to watch “Shawshank Redemption”, the pleasure is all ours. All you have to do is go to a streaming site like DStv and start watching this awesome movie.

But DStv may not be available for you if you don’t live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Don’t worry; we can assist you with that. You can easily access DStv in your country with a premium VPN. For example, if you’re in the USA, you can bypass the geo-restriction with the help of a VPN to watch DStv in USA.

Now, staying inside a barrier doesn’t sound too bad when you have “Shawshank Redemption” on DStv. Right?