1. Andy standing in the rain is a symbol of breaking through the confinment of prison and finally feel human again
1.1. Andy is being cleansed by the rain
1.2. The ability to stand in the rain as long he pleases shows his freedom of confiment
1.3. "Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free"
1.3.1. This is a direct connection to freedom and how it aids in finding the hope to be free. Only though this can one escape confiment
2. Freedom as a symbol of Hope
2.1. Andy as an individual is a symbol
2.2. Travelling to Mexico is shown as a hope to be free
2.3. Brook and the Bird
2.4. Art, an example of the will to be free. E.x : Andy and his chest pieces.
2.5. The tunnel dug to freedom
2.5.1. Freedom is no longer taken for granted as Andy crawls through the sewer to gain freedom, something he took for granted before.
2.6. Red and his smuggling business
2.6.1. The cigarettes are used for the hope to become free and be connected to the outside world
2.7. Rock Hammer
2.7.1. The ability to fight through any thing with consistent effort to achieve freedom
2.8. Tommy and his pursuit to graduate highschool
2.8.1. This shows that Tommy is using his quest to graduate to be financially independent after leaving the prison. This is an excellent example of the interplay between freedom and hope
3. Insitutionalization
3.1. Brooks and his inability to conform into society decades later
3.2. Being dependent on the prison
3.2.1. Red's Quote
3.2.1.1. "These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That's institutionalized."
3.3. The corruption of the officers is reflected on the inability to have freedom anymore inside the prison
4. The Dream of Freedom
4.1. Andy and Red as symbols of the dream for freedom
4.2. The example of when Andy plays "Le Nozze di Figaro" on the loud-speakers in the prison, everyone stops in awe to catch of glimpse of feeling free and human again.
4.3. The imagery of Birds shows freedom in Shawshank
4.4. The creation of the library
4.5. The ability to work for the warden and start a small business inside of the prison
4.5.1. This is an example of dreaming to be free once more in order to feel human
4.6. The warden is a dream of freedom
4.7. The inmates working in the field for little pay
5. Confinment and taking freedom for granted
5.1. The contrast between the prisoners and the wardens shoes shows the disparity between freedom and incarceration.
5.2. Many of the prisoners in Shawshank took freedom for granted and therefore made bad life decisions that in return led to confinment.
5.3. Red final interview to be let out of jail shows that he no longer takes freedom for granted and is now let free
5.4. Inmates being stripped of everything and having their belongings seized is a symbol of no longer having freedom.
5.4.1. The inmates are now immoralized and stripped of human worth