The character of Andy Dufresne is depicted throughout as a Stoic. Not stoic in the
colloquial (and often pejorative) sense of "unemotional, apathetic, cold", although it is reported that Andy is often perceived that way. For instance, it is implied in the story that Andy is found guilty largely due to the mechanical way which he related his testimony and reflected upon his wife's murder.
Aristotle observed that passions are a part of the human psyche, but insisted that reason rule the passions. Stoics simply put this observation as one of the highest priorities of their lives. One of the more interesting notes about Stoics was their relatively low regard for their own lives. That is, Stoics sought ataraxia, or inner peace, with the same interest, but not in the same way that Epicureans did: Stoics accepted reality as grim fatalists, while Epicureans sought pleasure and withdrew from society. Seneca committed suicide, and Stoics were not averse to the practice. The life of the self is held as but a speck of dust in the wind, an ember that burns in a breeze and slowly extinguishes and grows cold. The size of the universe gave Stoics a quite humble perspective upon the importance of their own lives. Most important out of these principles, whether you were consigned to live a life of slavery, as Epictetus was, or as an emperor, as Marcus Aurellius was...your life's value depended only upon your pursuit of virtue and inner peace.
Thus we come to Andy. Andy refuses to give in to the passions on many occasions. He is not a total ascetic, but we see when he wins the beers in his contest on the roof with Hadley, he chooses not to partake of them. Andy chooses, with a beatific smile, to reflect upon the ability he maintains to bring happiness to his friends, and the freedom that one can still feel despite prison walls. This same theme resurfaces with the playing of the Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)--the cost Andy will face in terms of punishment is more than compensated for by his own hope and freedom.
In retrospect, it is tempting to claim that Andy only was able to do these things because he was tunneling out of the prison. This claim is not supported by all the facts. In the book, more so than in the movie, Andy's vindication plays a huge role in his final desperate breakout. This comes much later in the story. The idea that his innocence, believed by no one, will finally be demonstrated, is enough to drive Andy to the brink of his sanity. We see his passions surface for the first real time, here. And we see that Andy values what he identifies as "my life" enough to elicit a passionate plea to the warden to help him get a new case. The warden, with much to risk, feels much safer with Andy behind bars.
Andy's life, he has shown us over and over, was never taken from him. He never lost his hope. He never lost his reason. He was still a man, albeit one who had been deeply scarred. So what life did he fear losing? Was Andy afraid? Was he angry? Both?
What was this passion elicited for? The hope that he maintained for his integrity to be vindicated. Andy was angry at injustice. It was not his own personal misfortune, no. He could not have held the hope, the freedom, that he held if he had not let go of the pathetic embrace of bitterness long ago over his misfortune, in true Stoic style.
Andy still maintained such a degree of character that he became enraged at the depth of the injustice and lack of moral fiber within the warden. The absolute lack of integrity within the icon of authority filled Andy with righteous indignation. Some would call it pride for an innocent man to hold so deeply to his own virtue, to not let it go, despite the perception of all those around him that he already had. I call it a noble philosophy--a love of wisdom.
Everything happens for the best, and you can usually expect the worst.
This is a Stoic ideal. The Stoics learned to roll with the punches of life, and Andy embodies this principle. Andy exemplifies redemption. He tells us that he was always "straight on the outside", before he came to prison. He tells us that he was a moral man. He implies that prison may have made him an immoral man, because he assisted the warden in his corrupt practices. But Andy took these lemons, drank their bitter nectar, pissed it out back into the pitcher, and saved it for a rainy day. It was raining on the day that Andy escaped from his prison--a place he was sent to for a crime he never committed. He threw that pitcher right in the face of the warden, and Hadley, on that rainy day.
Andy's love for justice, love of good for goodness' sake...they were redeemed.
He did not release wrath. He did not do what he did out of revenge. Andy Dufresne did so as his redemption. Andy was redeemed by exposing the corruption that he never allowed into himself. Andy was redeemed because he knew his virtue was never changed, and his innocence was never taken. The only way for Andy to purge himself of Shawshank entirely was to allow the light to mercilessly uncover darkness.
Andy's condemnation came from Shawshank, and his escape was a just redemption. Illegally escaping from a wrongful imprisonment is morally virtuous--to not do so is to abandon the will to live.
Andy Dufresne was a Stoic who redeemed himself. No one else would. No one else could.
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Stoicism, Shawshank, Philosophy
