Power Relations in Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
             Steven King's novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption explores themes of different types of power in relationships between men. Be it by brute force or authority, manipulation or friendships, every man in Shawshank is a part of the power structures that dwell within those walls. There is physical power, implied power, power for change, and, most importantly, the power to stay true to yourself in these trying circumstances. All these relationships and more form the basic makeup of the struggles of everyday life in Shawshank prison.
             The most obvious positions of power in Shawshank belong to those who have physical power over the inmates. The sisters-the Shawshank term for prison rapists-prey on the weak and inexperienced, "Most often what they take by force they could have had for free, if they had wanted it that way... but for the sisters, the joy had always been in taking by force." The prison guards keep the upper hand over the inmates by the constant threat of a trip to the infirmary-or worse. "In prison, every man's a nigger and you have to get used to the idea if you want to survive men like Hadley and Greg Stammas, who really would kill you as soon as look at you." Illicit moonlight burials weren't unheard of at the jail. The warden kept his position apparent not only by controlling the guards and where their favour fell, but also, in the case of Sam Norton, with punishments of his own, to dole out as he saw fit. "Solitary was always well populated. Men lost their teeth not from beatings, but from bread and water diets."
             Another type of power not to be underrated in such a small, tight-knit community as Shawshank is the power of connections. Friendship, business partnerships, and relationships based entirely on bribery abound. Red kept his reputation as 'the guy who can get it for you' through his a...