Abstract

Since its release in 1994, The Shawshank Redemption has gradually emerged as a classic work of art according to movie critics and fans. It has been the subject of conferences and books, as well as a tourist attraction in Mansfield, Ohio. Based on a novella by Stephen King, the movie takes place mostly in a prison for serious convicts such as murderers and violent thugs. The conditions are fairly harsh. The warden and guards have few reservations in pummeling the convicts or placing them in solitary confinement. Killing an inmate and burying him anonymously in the prison grounds does happen.There are several philosophical lessons presented by this movie (and the novella). The drama and cruelties of prison life highlight moments of friendship and hope. They also depict moments of hell and ask whether prison is merely a darker microcosm of everyday society. This chapter addresses these points through two philosophical lenses. One is from existentialism as found in the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre. The second is from genealogy as presented in the work of Michel Foucault.