Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption centers on a lengthy friendship between Andy and Red, yet it doesn't go into a whole lot of details. This is a strong, silent friendship, with a lot of manly grunts and unspoken assumptions. The emphasis is on the "strong" rather than the "silent," of course. Red doesn't talk a lot about how much Andy means to him, but he does talk about the gestures Andy makes that improve his life: Sending him the polished stones, getting beer for the tarring crew, you know stuff like that. Red even tears up a couple of times at those gestures, especially when he gets Andy's letter. That shows us how important friendship can be, instead of just telling us.
Questions About Friendship
- We know what Andy's friendship does for Red, but what does Red's friendship do for Andy?
- Why don't we see or hear about any of Andy's other friendships in prison? Is Red the only one? What does that say about Andy, and what does that say about the other prisoners?
- Why does Warden Stammas pretend to be friends with Andy? Is it possible for a friendship to develop between a prisoner and a guard in this story?
- How does Andy express friendship in the book? Does that differ from Red's expressions? If so, how?
Chew on This
Friendship is vital to maintaining hope in Shawshank.
Friendship is nice, but Andy could have held out hope even if he didn't become good friends with Red.