On Individualism In American Film The Shawshank Redemption

As one of the most famous American films, The Shawshank Redemption portrays American core value of Individualism most profoundly. This paper tries to explore the value of Individualism in The Shawshank Redemption so that we can have a deeper understanding of how Individualism is demonstrated in this film. It argues that the idea of individualism is embodied in the film mainly in three aspects: individual freedom, individual independence and individual interests in reputation and wealth.This paper has five parts. The introduction part contains five parts: a brief introduction to The Shawshank Redemption, literature review on The Shawshank Redemption, a brief introduction to Individualism, the significance of this thesis and the structure of this thesis. The first chapter discusses the freedom of body and freedom of spirit in this film respectively to prove that individual freedom is most profoundly reflected in The Shawshank Redemption. The second chapter, from the perspectives of thought and action, discusses the independent thinking and self-reliance of the protagonist respectively to prove that The Shawshank Redemption is a film that highly promotes the spirit of independence. The third chapter analyzes the pursuit of individual interests in reputation and wealth by the main characters respectively to prove that individual interests is given full expression in The Shawshank Redemption. Based on the three chapters mentioned above, the last part summarizes the three aspects of individualism reflected in the film and concludes that individualism is embodied in The Shawshank Redemption mainly in individual freedom, individual independence and individual interests in reputation and wealth.