It also makes the reader wonder what kind of person the narrator is.

This backstory hints that male violence against women may be common in the culture the novella describes. With matter-of-fact brevity, he reveals he murdered his wife –and accidentally killed two other people in the process. He also gives no hints about why he’s telling a story, creating mystery and suspense about his motives. This omission suggests the narrator identifies with the prison environment rather than considering himself an individual who will one day be free. Instead, on Andy’s invitation, Red decides to travel to Mexico and join him.The narrator, introducing himself, does not tell readers his name, only his role in prison society. After Red is paroled, Andy’s example prevents Red from committing another crime to return to prison, though the outside world scares Red. Andy’s cleverness, self-possession, and escape make him an inspirational legend to other prisoners. He flees to Mexico, where he plans to run a hotel under a fake identity. In 1975, Andy escapes through a sewer pipe inside the wall he’s been tunneling through for decades, illustrating his extreme persistence and desire for freedom. He begins laundering money for prison staff in exchange for protection against rapists and a cell without a roommate, which allows him to tunnel through his wall undetected. After Andy helps a guard, Byron Hadley, avoid taxes on an inheritance, guards and even wardens seek Andy’s financial help. He uses pin-up posters-which no one questions, due to the fact that many prisoners have them-to hide the hole. When he discovers weak concrete in his cell wall, he begins slowly digging a tunnel with his rock hammer. Andy, who collects rocks, buys a rock-hammer from Red, likely hoping his hobby will make prison more bearable. In Shawshank prison, when rapists assault Andy, he fights every assault, demonstrating his persistence and his desire for agency. Andy’s wrongful conviction demonstrates the power of storytelling to shape reality. The district attorney who prosecutes the case tells a plausible story about Andy as a calculating killer, while Andy tells the unconvincing truth: he bought a gun prior to the murders because he was contemplating suicide, and he can’t remember exactly what happened the night of the murders because he was drunk. In 1948 he’s wrongly convicted of murdering his wife Linda and her lover Glenn Quentin. Before his imprisonment, Andy worked as a banker. Andy Dufresne, the hero of Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, is a slight, good-looking man who wears glasses and keeps his fingernails “always clean.” His calm, ironic demeanor makes some people believe he’s cold or snobbish.

Rita hayworth shawshank poster