Obviously, the main theme of this story is “hope”. What makes “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” special is that hope is contagious even in the gloomiest place. As Andy shows his own hope to others in Shawshank, Red first becomes hopeful just like Andy. In that way, the story changes into “the story of Red”, not confined to the story of Andy. Also, other prisoners are profoundly influenced by Andy, too. That every prisoner praises Andy as his hero is largely attributed to the significant impacts Andy manifested in his prison life. The concept of infectious hope successfully drew my attention.

             On the other hand, however, I was incessantly disturbed by the severe dichotomy in < Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption > at the same time. Indeed, all characters in the plot can be divided into two extremes: the good and the evil. I believe there is no one purely good, nor one purely evil. Nevertheless, it happens in the story. Since Red is an unreliable narrator, prisoners are generally depicted as good people, while prison wardens and prison guards are described to be evil.

             Unlike what Red narrated, I think prison wardens and prison guards are victims of institutionalization, just like prisoners. In the story, Brooks, who lived in Shawshank more than several decades, commits suicide, because he fails to adjust himself to the society. There is no difference between Bryon Hardley, the harsh prison guard, and Brooks. His harsh and cold personality may be greatly ascribed to his job, prison guard. To be a good prison guard, he had no choice but to be so severe and pitiless that he can efficiently deal with aggressive and rebellious prisoners. He is not a purely evil person, but a poor father who must do whatever it is for his own family.

             Additionally, I cast a heavy doubt upon the image of Andy described in the story. He seems to be a pure good, who spread his hope to others. However, I cannot agree with this point. Rather, I would agree with the point that Andy is a good agitator, like Hitler in WWII. In fact, Hitler gave “hope” to Germans, as Andy spread “hope” to prisoners. The only difference between these two people is that Hitler is described by the winners of the war while Andy is narrated by Red. Also, I wonder that is it right to give hope to prisoners. I do not mean that they should live a hopeless life, but I believe that the one value to which prisoners must give priority is self-reflection, not hope.