[…] Why I Think This Is A Classic 90s Movies: The 90′s saw many great Stephen King adoptions such as IT (1990), Sleepwalkers (1992), Misery (1990) and The Green Mile (1999). But for me and many other it was The Shawshank Redemption in 1994 that …read more […]

The plot thread of Brook builds upon the penal practice of paroling lifers when they are deemed too old to be a menace to society -- and are practically too old to survive on the outside. Dramatically, it is used to set up hope in contrast to despair. Brook's fate is used to raise a portent, a fear in the audience that Red (whom the audience has become emotionally invested in as the sympathetic narrator of Andy's story) may suffer a similar fate when he finally gets paroled. After all, Red doesn't rush out and dig up the cigar box as soon as he gets out. Rather, he initially suffers that same despairing plight upon his release, living in the same room where Brook hanged himself, working the same lousy job bagging groceries. And only then, hope dying in the same pit of despair as he stares at a gun in a pawn ship, does Red finally do what Andy told him to do.

pgronk, following up with your comments, I think the Brooks subplot is one of the best ever in movies. It portray "get busy dyin'" in contrast to Andy's "get busy livin'". Brooks - a Dark Mentor whose path Red rejects due to a promise he made to a friend.

[…] The Shawshank Redemption […]