The Shawshank Redemption is a parallel among the biblical lessons and a movie. The story makes use of an individual’s journey of existence to portray problems based on the principles - hope and redemption.
Hope
Andy struggle inside the cage that is the prison until he eventually breaks free leaving his friend Red behind, who's later paroled.
One day Red decides to walk away from his job in search of a field. Andy had once told Red about a hidden box beneath a volcanic rock in a wall situated in a field in Buxton. Red goes in search of this box and discovers it. Inside the container, Red finds a written note. The note further reassures that him coming this a long way will make him willing to go even further.
Red, in pursuit of Andy’s guarantees, heads to Mexico and reunites with Andy at the Pacific seaside in Mexico. The movie emphasises in large part on Red’s voice-over narration on the very last segment of scenes stressing greater on the massive theme or idea driving the entire film: “I wish I can make it through the border. I hope to see my pal and shake his hand. I hope the pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams I hope”. The context relating to this declaration seems to be “hope”, a wonderful trust for what the future beholds, and being optimistic about what lies in the near future.
In the book of 1st Corinthians verse 13, the qualities that Apostle Paul points towards love are those that Andy points to hope which he portrays in the movie. If we substitute hope for love in the whole of Paul’s chapter we might end up with a fair portrayal of Andy, since he has passed through all those things.
He was not only focused on keeping up his hope but did work to inspire others too. Red’s hope was built by Andy helping him find a new dimension perceiving things positively.
Redemption
Andy’s persistent fight to break free of the prison shackles finally came to an end, when he finally completed to chisel a pathway through the cemented wall. After crawling through 500 yards of sewage, lands safely on the other side. When he escapes, his friends in prison, continues to talk about all the things they shared in their leisure time. Red, Andy’s most faithful disciple, follows him onto freedom, re-enacting a conversation from the book of John 13:36 in which Simon Peter questions Jesus, “Lord, wherever you are leaving?” to which Jesus answers “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward”.
The conversation shows how redemption comes for both of them. Andy redeemed himself while Red achieved the same through parole.
Andy Dufresne embodies several characteristics of a Jesus-like figure; there are several parallels to be drawn between Jesus himself and Andy. Many of the situations that lead to Andy's being in jail and his escape are similar to what happened to Jesus’ pre-crucifixion and post-resurrection. His storyline mirrors that of Jesus' in that he was punished for a crime in which he was relatively falsely accused and figuratively had his own "cross to bear." The Bible notes that once Jesus was captured, Pontius Pilate knew that he was innocent, but wanted no part in the killing of anyone. Therefore, he allowed the crowd of people to choose between Jesus and a criminal who raped and killed. Rather than absolving him, the crowd ultimately chose to kill Jesus despite his innocence. Similarly, Andy was convicted of a crime he didn't commit because his details of the night of the murder, although entirely veracious, weren't convincing enough to declare him innocent. Andy's jail cell can be related to the tomb in which Jesus is contained in for his short period of death. Andy's sentence was the limbo between the real world prior to "his" crime and the real world that would come after his escape. Andy's escape of prison through the wall is similar to Jesus' metaphorical escape (ascension to heaven) from his tomb/death.
Andy referred to Zihuatanejo, the town where he would ultimately escape to, as a heaven-like experience, which is where Jesus would end up.
Not only were situations similar between the two, but also the personalities and influence of both could be related to each other. Despite his circumstances, Andy remained a positive influence on Shawkshank Prison considering his contributions to prison mates' education, finances, and atmosphere. He built the library and revamped all of its amenities, all while keeping accounts for the warden and educating other prison mates. Likewise, Jesus had great influence over his disciples; he was the leader of a large movement and, according to believers, was capable of performing miracles. Both were front-runners in their way and made generous contributions to the people around them. After their "crimes", Jesus and Andy hoped-for rebirth and cleansing of their sins. They wanted to erase their pasts; Andy did so in jail and Jesus did so through his crucifixion. Andy was buried and risen in a metaphorical sense, while Jesus did in a literal sense. They both eventually found salvation at the end of their known storylines.
Lastly, Bible references were present throughout the film. The safe for all of the finances in the warden's office was hidden behind a Bible verse.
Although the warden claimed to be a devout Christian, it is later revealed how he goes against many of Christianity's basic morals. The most famous cinematographic moment in the movie is when Andy escapes from prison. The scene where he stands with arms outstretched with the rain pouring down on him makes Andy look like Jesus on the cross. It is difficult not to see all of the similarities between the story of Jesus Christ and Andy Dufresne's character.
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