The Shawshank Redemption

Chosen answer: In the original novella it is revealed that Andy smuggled $500 into the prison inside of his rectum. During an interview in 2004 Robbins incorrectly quoted the amount as being $100. The narration up until Red's release is provided as Red writes his account of the events while still in prison, and employs the same method to smuggle the story out. But since the issue of Andy smuggling in $500 into the prison isn't addressed in the movie, we should assume that he smuggled it in. In addition to this, the wardens scams are described as "near slave labor." From this we can assume that it is possible the inmates are getting paid (an incredibly small) wage. Perhaps Andy, with his financial knowledge, knows how to haggle, barter and stretch a dollar. One last (but not as likely) scenario is that Red allows some sort of lay by system to inmates.

Chosen answer: In a nutshell, tax evasion. He's running the prison like a company doing building work with, as its described by the builder in the movie, a pool of slave labour to allow him undercut other contractors. He is skimming profit for his own pockets, along with taking bribes, etc. that Andy's creative book keeping is hiding from the IRS.

Question: Did the Warden know about the "Randall Stevens" character? At first it would seem that he didn't, since Andy used the identity to clean out the bank accounts and escape to Mexico. On the other hand, how could the Warden make deposits and withdrawals (before Andy's escape) from his bank accounts without noticing?

Matty Blast

Chosen answer: He probably only knows the name. He doesn't want to know anymore, so he can pin the blame on Andy should anything go wrong. He no doubt hasn't even considered that Andy might have ID so he can access the accounts after his escape.

Grumpy Scot

Also, Andy indicated that the deposits were night deposits, which were in envelopes. So, the warden may not have known the "Randall Stevens" name.

Question: When Andy got Norton and Hadley arrested, how did he manage to prove that they murdered Tommy? How did he manage to prove that he wasn't trying to escape?

MikeH

Chosen answer: He provided the authorities (and the media) evidence of all the money-laundering and illegal activities that happened at Shawshank...any specific evidence he had regarding Tommy is not shown in the film, but it can be assumed that Hadley, as revealed in Red's narration, broke down and confessed. Andy never intended to prove he wasn't trying to escape...he DID escape, so any attempt by him to prove otherwise would have been met with skepticism. Also, as far as the authorities are concerned, all the evidence came from his alter ego, "Randall Stevens."

Chosen answer: Since Andy helped Hadley with the tax-free gift, Hadley realized that Andy could be of future financial use, which he can take advantage of considering he's in prison for two life-terms. The sisters beating up Andy would interfere with that-consider that Andy was in the infirmary for a very long time after the last attack. Beating up on Boggs sent a message to the sisters to leave Andy alone...or else.

randomguy

Answer: Norton had Hadley beat up Boggs because he and the Sisters would have eventually killed Andy and Norton needed him and his banking skills to cover up his scams.

Chosen answer: Andy created the books so that everything was in the name of the Randall Stevens alias he created. The real books pointed to Warden Norton AND Randall Stevens, but didn't have Andy's name on them. As far as the law knows, Norton's accomplice was a guy named Randall Stevens who skipped town with the money before ratting him out.

Captain Defenestrator

If the laundered funds case was thoroughly investigated on an immediate basis (within a couple of days after the Bugle's writer got the material), the alias of Randall Stevens would have come out almost immediately, and of course his description would match that of someone who just escaped from prison, and even Barney Fife could have put two and two together.

Valid. However, by the time that would happen, Andy would be over the border and the warden would still get taken down, so his bigger goals would still be accomplished. They'll update Andy Dufresne's wanted poster to read "Alias Randall Stevens," but that's the biggest consequence for Andy.

Captain Defenestrator

Question: Why would Andy get Hadley arrested? He saved him from the sisters. And what happened to Hadley after he got arrested? Was he put in Shawshank?

jawsant

Chosen answer: Hadley was a cruel, brutal man who repeatedly beat inmates, in some cases so badly that they died. He was directly responsible for, or an accomplice to, multiple crimes up to and including premeditated murder. By any standards, the guy deserves arrest, conviction and punishment. He may have saved Andy from the Sisters, but that was purely because Andy was useful to both him and the warden with his financial acumen. Hadley stepping in was purely down to self-interest, not any interest in inmate welfare. After all, the Sisters have clearly targetted other prisoners prior to Andy, without any apparent reaction from the prison staff. As for Hadley's eventual fate, it's not revealed.

Tailkinker

Answer: Andy could have also at least have strongly suspected that Hadley shot Tommy.

Actually, when he visits him in "the hole" Norton told Andy that Hadley is the one who shot Tommy.

Question: Andy breaks out, grabs the money, and sends his evidence of wrongdoing to the newspapers. His evidence is so convincing that the cops arrest the head guard and the warden kills himself. So why does Andy hightail it to Mexico? The papers have the story of a lifetime. They're going to complete the investigation that the warden prevented. Andy's going to be a martyr and a hero and clear his name with family and friends. He'll get rich just suing the government for false imprisonment. So why does he opt for life on the lam? ("Don't worry, Red. They'll NEVER find us here in Mexico. You and me, we just blend in.")

Answer: Andy is still under a life sentence for the murder of his wife. With Tommy dead, there's no one to corroborate the story that Elmo Blatch confessed, so it would be Andy's word against Elmo's. And since escaping from prison is a crime in itself, they'd be looking for him for that as well. Best to take the money and flee the country.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: As stated before, the only witness to Elmo's confession was killed. So even the newspapers would not likely turn up any evidence admissible in court. Not to mention that Elmo's confession doesn't expressly state who the parties were. He says a golf pro but that seems to be the main description that could be used to identify any party which in itself is almost worthless. Also keep in mind the times and Era this takes place. You didn't have the groups, or even public sway, that would fight for innocence. While corruption isn't new, even in these times, from officials and such... There is still a relative belief by the general public that officials are always right and criminals are always guilty and liars. Think of it like this, even today... It is still incredibly hard to get a judgment overturned or voided and that's with groups like the innocence project and general public aware of innocent people given guilty sentences... Back then, it would have been an almost foregone conclusion for most appeals to always be denied and would have taken a mountain of evidence, credible evidence, to sway a judgment in favor of the defense. Also as to suing the government... That's far from any realization. First, it's hard to sue the government and in many cases is immune to liability, i.e. Can't be sued... But consider the time and Era again... Courts don't like admitting errors NOW, so back in that Era... I'd seriously doubt any judge would've even heard a lawsuit against the government if it weren't outright refused by the governments exemption from liability claims. Also, keep in mind that it wasn't a court that convicted him but a jury of his peers. Finally, overshadowing all of what I mentioned above is Andy Dufrane himself. What reason... What reason at all should Andy have ANY faith that he'd be exonerated. Forget about the crime of escaping the prison and whether he'd serve time for that or got a sympathetic judge who would have written that off either as time he's already served for a crime he didn't commit or because had the judicial system not failed him initially with a wrongful conviction, he wouldn't have HAD an opportunity to break the law. Why should Andy have ANY faith that events he set in motion would ever result with his conviction overturned. He couldn't foretell the warden taking his own life and no one would've believed a convict or taken his word over anything else. So needless to say, there is every reason for him to "high-tail-it" as far as he can go. Remember that jury of his peers... He's already been an innocent man sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit... Why in all heck would he ever believe that anybody would think differently if he stayed. No... Given the times and situations involved... Andy made the correct decision.

Answer: Sewer and drainage pipes from the 19th century until only about 40 years ago were cast iron. It is a thick but fairly brittle metal, especially if it was older and beginning to deteriorate. It is theoretically possible to rupture the pipe with a rock, although probably not as easy as it appeared. Note I said "theoretically."

Answer: Well when Andy strikes the pipe, it sounds like metal.

Chosen answer: In the book the main drain pipes in Shawshank are ceramic, which is why Andy is able to break through. There is nothing in the movie to indicate the pipes are metal and not ceramic.

Guy

Question: Is what Andy Dufresne says about victims biting down when they have sudden brain injury true? Or is he just making it up so the sisters won't stab him?

Answer: It's true.

Grumpy Scot

Answer: It's not true. But he came across as educated and convinced them it was true...He further put reluctance into them by basically saying "try it and see what happens..."

Answer: It's never explicitly stated in the film. All we know is, he buried it after he escaped and before Red found it.

Dra9onBorn117

Question: This applies to most prison movies, but is most prevalent in Shawshank. How, roughly, would a prison contraband system like what Red has set up work? It's made clear that Red can get pretty much anything, for the right price, and it's shown that the contraband he "orders" comes in with laundry and the like - so he obviously has somebody on the outside that finds out what Red needs, buys it, and then has it smuggled in. But how does Red get his "order" out? And what's in it for the outside contacts? They're paying for the posters, whiskey, playing cards, etc with their money and taking a risk by sneaking it into the prison. what is Red doing to make it worth their while? I know prisoners make money for their work but it's a very small amount and there's no way he could earn enough to make a profit. Red has a life sentence, so he can't promise his buddies on the outside (smuggling in the goods) that he'll pay them back when he gets out. Also, on the inside (of every prison movie ever) prisoners always do their bartering with packs of cigarettes as currency. Where do all these smokes come from? Do prisons issue rations of cigarettes? They can't all be contraband.

Answer: Since very little is mentioned about Red's life outside of prison, any number of possibilities could exist. Perhaps Red comes from a wealthy family with connections. Perhaps Red became very good friends with a former guard who still makes sure his little system works. It would appear that all of the guards and even the warden know about the system but do nothing about it figuring that it keeps morale from getting low.

Damian Torres

Answer: Taking into account a few dollars to someone in prison is valuable...It seems as if Red has a contact on the outside who simply provides him with requested items. Red probably sends money to the source in reverse of how the items are sent in. Each person who touches it (the loading dock guy, the source, etc.) probably gets a piece of Red's take.

It seems that they all get paid in cigarettes. Two packs seems to be the going rate for virtually every transaction point. The most obvious contact point for Red is also in the movie, the guy running the laundry truck operation who himself bribes the guards.

Question: I have a few questions. Were the conditions in the film and book the way they were in reality? Like did they really have movie theaters back then? If it was reality, what happened in the penal system that changed penitentiaries to become more "strict"?

Answer: This question is a bit vague and open to multiple answers, but here's one. Shawshank is a fictional prison, an amalgamation of the general federal penitentiary system of the 1940s-1960s, and as such depicts elements common to prisons of the era. Many penal colonies had movie theaters and other entertainment for the prisoners...it depended on a lot of factors, from the crimes committed by the inmates, to the laws of the particular state, to the inclinations and philosophies of the warden. Most prisons nowadays still have these amenities...they haven't become "more strict" since the time period depicted in the film. And, just as now, prisons like Shawshank had guards that were more or less brutal towards the inmates, inmates who worked for the guards (unofficially), corrupt wardens who exploited the prisoners' labor, draconian punishments, etc.

Question: While Andy is in solitary for 2 months, who is doing all of the paperwork for the warden's scams?

Answer: Presumably he just let it pile up or stopped running schemes for a bit.

Greg Dwyer

Question: In the trial at the start of the movie, we see a flashback of Andy walking with his gun. Where exactly was he? Was that a real flashback, or just what the prosecutor was assuming happened? Did Andy actually almost kill his wife but decide against it?

MikeH

Chosen answer: Andy showed up at his wife's lover's house, either to kill them or just threaten them. He had a change of heart and left. Unfortunately, his fingerprints were all over the bullets and liquor bottle he left at the scene, which was pretty damning.

Brian Katcher

Question: How come Hadley was arrested for Tommy's murder but nobody cares about Fat Ass's murder? There were hundreds of witnesses.

MikeH

Chosen answer: 1) This is almost twenty years down the road. Many of those witnesses are either gone from the prison, dead, or may have forgotten any details. 2) Hadley beat Fatass because he wouldn't stop talking, breaking the rules. Tommy was just standing there talking to the warden. It's cold blooded murder vs. Simple brutality. 3) Prisoners are often reluctant to testify against guards because of fear of retribution from other guards.

Greg Dwyer

Question: What is the music played just after Red is released for prison? The instrumental that plays while Red tries to figure out life on the outside?

Answer: The piece of music is an original composition for the film titled "So Was Red," and is available on the soundtrack album.

Michael Albert

Question: It looks to me like Andy works in a laundry in the prison. If thats so how come they get sheets delivered from the outside? It looks that way to me when the rock hammer is delivered.

Answer: They take in other laundry to help fund the prison, probably from local hotels or hospitals.

Myridon

Question: Andy overhears Hadley saying he got thirty-five thousand dollars from his brother, but has to pay taxes on it. Andy suggests that Hadley give the money to his wife if he wants to keep all of it. Andy says the IRS allows a one time gift only to your spouses for up to sixty thousand dollars without having to pay taxes. Is that actually true?

Answer: Nope...maybe in-universe it's true, but in our real world, it's just a bunch of fancy-sounding razzle-dazzle that Andy uses to dupe Hadley. Hadley would never have had to pay taxes on the money to begin with. Go to this website for a pretty detailed breakdown of just HOW untrue it actually is: https://hauntedcoconut.com/2019/04/16/the-shawshank-redemption-andy-dufresnes-questionable-tax-advice/.

Question: I am wondering if the scene at the tree in Buxton where Freeman goes to keep his promise to Andy, is the same tree location used in the movie Robin Hood with Morgan Freeman? It sure does look to be the same rock fence and tree on a hill.

Mariellen Lamb

Chosen answer: Nope, while there is a similarity, the two locations are on different continents. The Shawshank Redemption shot those scenes in Ohio, while Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves shot almost entirely in the UK, with a few scenes shot in France.

Character mistake: Red says that Andy crawled to freedom through 500 yards - 'just shy of half a mile'. 500 yards is far less than half a mile; in fact, it's less than a third of a mile. It is however just shy of half a kilometer, which may be what King was thinking of when he wrote the book.

More mistakes in The Shawshank Redemption

Red: Andy Dufresne - who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side.

More quotes from The Shawshank Redemption

Trivia: There are many references to the number 237 in the movie. For instance, this is the number of Red's cell, and these digits are on Andy's prison I.D. This number makes appearances throughout Steven King stories, the most famous one being the room where the murders take place in "The Shining".

More trivia for The Shawshank Redemption

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