The movie's central theme of hope is expertly woven throughout the narrative. The character of Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, is a banker who is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Despite being sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary, Andy never loses hope. He finds ways to maintain his dignity and sense of self-worth, even in the face of overwhelming despair.
: In 1966, Andy escapes through a tunnel he spent 19 years digging with a small rock hammer, emerging into a sewer pipe to reach freedom. The Reunion the shawshank redemption index link