Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Book Review
Movie buffs, Morgan Freeman fans, or anyone with good taste in film has seen or at least heard of the 1994 masterpiece The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Of course, it was a novella first, written by the American master of horror, Stephen King.
The Synopsis
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is a novella from Stephen King’s collection, Different Seasons.
This is the story of Andrew ‘Andy’ Dufresne, a banker incarcerated in the Shawshank State Penitentiary in 1947 for the twin murders of his wife and her lover. Andy has been sentenced to two life sentences, even though he claims to be innocent.
Red, another Shawshank inmate, is the narrator. Red is the go-to person for everyone looking for contraband items at Shawshank. Andy too approaches Red for a poster of Rita Hayworth. The two become good friends over time.
Using his financial acumen, Andy helps the prison staff with their monetary issues. By doing so, he wins their trust and gets the wardens to allow him to work in the prison library. He uses his position to help the other inmates, too.
Just when everything seems to be going smoothly, something happens — Andy tells Red a secret, one that changes their lives forever.
He didn’t speak or even look my way, but pressed a picture of the Hon. Alexander Hamilton into my hand as neatly as a good magician does a card-trick. He was a man who adapted fast. — Quote from the book.
The Book Review
Book Length — 128 pages
Paperback Price — $9.98 (Amazon)
Author — Stephen King
It isn’t a horror, though arguably the true “horrors” of prison life, such as “solitary” conditions, bribery, rape, are discussed. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is a tale about perseverance, patience, and hope. It’s about holding onto what’s right and staying strong even in the toughest of times.
The book is just a novella, and a lot was added to make it into a movie. It’s not the only of King’s stories to be adapted in this way; more examples include The Mist and 1408 (which, incidentally, are both horrors).
It’s written from Red’s point of view, and though the story is about Andy and his time at the prison of Shawshank, we find out a lot about how Red observes, thinks, and feels. Interestingly, Red was a white man in the book (described as having greying red hair), but Morgan Freeman was perfect for the role in the movie adaptation.
Red is the person who can get things for you. In prison, he’s an important man who’s approached when someone needs things like alcohol, a pack of cards, or a dirty book. His friendship with Andy begins when the younger inmate asks him to get a poster of Rita Hayworth to put in his cell.
Andy shows up at Shawshank for killing his wife and her lover, and appears mild-mannered, calm, and even casual; he strolls about as though he’s at ease with the world and his words are carefully chosen. After advising a guard on how to keep his inheritance without it being taxed, Andy, who had been a banker before his stretch in prison, starts helping the other guards with his finances and, in turn, gets to live alone in his cell and is protected from the Sisters, a vicious gang of rapists.
You might know the rest of the story, and if you haven’t, I won’t give it all away.
Red tells the story in an order that isn’t chronological, often jumping back and forth between the years to talk about events and people. Much of it is also skimmed over, told rather than shown, which I thought would be against the number one rule in writing. Though it wasn’t completely confusing, it was jarring at times to go from the early ’70s back to 1959, but since I knew the story it wasn’t completely baffling. I did think, though, that I would have preferred to be shown through certain events rather than them being mentioned off-hand as something leading up to the “present.”
The movie also improved on many things. If you haven’t seen the film or read the book, stop reading now. If you don’t care about spoilers or you know the tale, read on.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
There are some vast differences between Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and its movie adaptation. Here are a few examples.
- In the movie, the leader of the Sisters is beaten to within an inch of his life for his treatment of Andy. In the book, they fade into the background when Andy is given protection.
- Tommy, the young man who met the real killer of Andy’s wife, is transferred to a minimum-security prison, a sort of bribe by the Warden to get him out of the way. In the film, he’s shot dead by a guard; it’s an evil and shocking twist, though the concept of Andy’s only hope willingly leaving him behind is sadder and, in a way, darker.
- Red doesn’t officially find Andy in the book. It ends with him out of prison and receiving the hidden letter he found after following his best friend’s clues and clinging to the hope that he may track him down someday. Movie watchers enjoy happy endings, and the on-screen story had a much more feel-good ending. Whether that means it’s better is debatable.
- The best change from book to film was what happened to the Warden. After Andy’s escape (which is identical in both versions), Warden goes a bit loopy and retires early, always wondering how Andy managed to outsmart him. In the film, he’s found out for all the scams he’s running and fatally shoots himself.
Stephen King’s writing was impeccable, as always; it felt very ’50s, with plenty of old slang that was a joy to read. There were some amazingly funny quotes, too, which had me giggling as I read the paperback on the train.
The image of an inmate, who probably detests the guards and is good at acting dumb, making a completely useless suggestion for kicks tickled me pink.
Overall, the book was a charming day in the life (though the story spans over several decades) of two inmates, one of which manages the impossible out of patience, dreams, and hope. Andy is a gorgeous character, mysterious and calm and completely likable. Overall, I think I prefer the movie, but the book was still a pleasure to read and I’ll probably reread it in the future.
What we liked about Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is one of Stephen King’s best stories. It has all the makings of a contemporary classic. The compelling title forces the readers to wonder what the story is about. And once they start reading, the novella hooks them from the very first line.
Both Red and Andy are intriguing characters. The supporting characters also have multi-dimensional personalities. There is an aura of raw passion about the story. The plot is so remarkably intricate that readers are kept guessing to the very end as to why Rita Hayworth’s poster matters so much in the story.
The story is empathic, but not melodramatic; the author’s depiction of the Shawshank inmates, even the bad ones, makes readers empathize with them. The ending is a real cliffhanger, but with no theatrics.
What could have been better about Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
Andy Dufresne’s personality is so overwhelming that readers will find themselves curious to know more about him. While this is one of the best things about the story, one cannot help feel for the poor guy.
