Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why does King choose to tell the story through Red rather than Andy? What does he accomplish, in narrative terms, if we heard it all from Andy?
- Why doesn't King frame this story as a prison break from the beginning? Would it be more interesting if we were told what Andy's doing from the start?
- What's the point of having multiple wardens overseeing the prison during Andy's stay? What does it add to the story?
- How important is the postscript, where Red tells us that he's free? How does including this information as a postscript make the story different than if he'd escaped with Andy?
- What symbols does King use to evoke hope? Are they what you'd expect those kinds of symbols to be? Why or why not?