Resilience, Movie Review Example

Overview

According to the online resource www.dictionary.com resilience is the ability to return to the original form after adversity or the like.  The ability to with stand tremendous adversity or hardship and still return to a form of normal stasis and well-being requires tenacity in terms of both physical and mental fortitude.  In the film, “The Shawshank Redemption” the main character, Andy Dufresne, experiences and remains resilient through the entire course of his story from the life he lead up to his stay at Shawshank to the eventual departure under his own terms.  His tenacity and intestinal fortitude to not only endure the hardships presented to him but also make the best out of a life that would render a lesser man devastated and without a hopeful gleam of life.   Dufresne withstood the trials and tribulations and returned back to original form.

Adversity

Andy Dufresne started out the story as a smart and sharp banker that stumbles upon his adulterous wife in a very compromising position with her lover.  In a very unfortunate calamity of events, Dufresne is away from his house when an intruder breaks into his house and murder’s his wife and lover.  There was enough circumstantial evidence for the Dufresne’s conviction which resulted in two consecutive life sentences.  Dufresne tries to adjust to life in prison by not associating with other inmates and just by taking in and evaluating his environment.  Throughout his prison stay he befriends a man by the name of “Red” which is a man with connections to the outside world in regard to trafficking illegal material into the prison.  While he does befriend some other inmates there were others that wanted to take advantage and use Dufresne for their personal gratification.  Multiple forcible altercations that resulted in stays in the infirmary and bodily harm occurred between the groups.

Through the hardships of prison, attacks, and the consistent oppression by the prison leadership and develops a plan to systematically and methodically escape from prison.  Dufresne states that the only thing he has on his side is time and after years of incarceration for a crime he did not commit he escapes from the confinement of prison.  He does this only after letting Red know of his dreams to visit Mexico and live out his days.  He also tells Red where to find a large sum of money and instructions on how to find him once Red is paroled from prison.  After four decades, Red is paroled from prison and finally meets Dufresne in the place that Dufresne described in his visions of his future.

Resilience

Throughout the turmoil, false conviction and repetitive abuse by authorities and fellow inmates, Andy Dufresne was able to bring himself back into balance so that he could not only weather the events he was living through but also strive to return to a life he once enjoyed as a free man.  There is a paradox between Dufresne and another inmate that was institutionalized but later released.  The other inmate became the inmate that he represented and could not handle the outside world once released.  He ultimately committed suicide to escape the world he once lived in.  Dufresne, on the other hand, proved resilient and maintained his dream no matter the present hardships.  His dreams and aspirations to live a life on the outside of Shawshank gave him the beacon of hope that he needed.  Andy Dufresne resilience is apparent through his ability to rise above and not only let the situations drive down his morale to an irrevocable level but bounce back to live life as a free man on the beaches of Mexico as he dreamt on those horrible nights at Shawshank.