The Shawshank Redemption is the one of the greatest films of all time. The movie is about Andy Dufresne, a vice-president at a bank in Portland, Maine who was falsely convicted for the murder of his wife and her lover. The movie shows how Andy navigates life in prison as he has to fight to survive, build relationships so he has an easier time, and ultimately escaping the prison in a dramatic climax to the movie.
Throughout the film there is many different symbols for Christianity. The first and most clear is the bible. The warden is pushing the bible onto each of the inmates that are at Shawshank prison as a way of finding a light in their situation. The bible for many has become a way for people to change their lives in drastic ways whether it be prison inmates or simply people who are interested in Christianity.
The Bible also comes into play when Andy makes his escape as the warden finds Andy's bible that he was using to hide his small hammer. This is quite ironic as the bible is supposed to represent an escape into a life of christianity and in this case, the Warden has found this particular bible after Andy has escaped from the prison.
Another religious symbol that is in the film is after Andy has crawled through the tunnel of foulness to freedom and is greeted with a massive rainfall. One of the more popular stories in the bible is that of Noah's Arc and how there was massive rainfall for many days. The rainfall in the bible was so intense with massive flooding that Noah had to gather a female and male of each animal so they would be able to reproduce and keep their species alive. The rainfall that Andy is greeted with is so intense that it can be compared to that rainfall in the bible. Christianity is all about forgiveness and giving people chances to find their peace. The rainfall here with Andy being showered down can be perceived as Andy having his sins washed away giving him the ability to move on and be a better man.
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