rough acceptance, patience, and perseverance Andy finds redemption on his own terms.
             Stage one is an introduction to the disaster that is Andy's life. This is the start of Andy's tumble down the rabbit hole. The court scene where Andy is convicted of the murder of his own wife is a clear example of his non-belief or denial of the current situation. Tim Robbins does an outstanding job of portraying Andy's absolute despair. In this stage we get our first glimpses of the prison itself. There are several clues the director gives us to show that the prison has significant meaning. The largest clue is the first view of the prison as almost an impenetrable fortress. The barbwire fences and concrete walls are meant to lend a certain realistic quality to Andy's tragic situation. There is also Red the narrator's (Morgan Freeman) first description of Andy and the prison. Red points out Andy coming off the bus he says, "that tall drink of water with a silver spoon up his ass," also that, "I must admit I didn't think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him; looked like a stiff breeze would blow him over. That was my first impression of the man." simply describing Andy's uptight demeanor that won't last a second in Shawshank. There is also the description of Andy's entrance into Shawshank, "The first night's the toughest, no doubt about it. They march you in naked as the day you were born, skin burning and half blind from that delousing shit they throw on you, and when they put you in that cell... and those bars slam home...that's when you know it's for real. A whole life blown away in the blink of an eye. Nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it." The whole setting of the movie is in itself a metaphor. The prison is a symbol. It is an embodiment of all the situations that fate tests us with.
             Stage two is Andy's rude awakening and introducti...