Reading Journal #1

           The book this time is ‘Shawshank Redemption’ by Stephen King. Unlike my first impression of the book- that it would be a boring horror story- I truly enjoyed reading it. I wondered why; the story is certainly not the type I read usually. I thought, maybe, if I analyze the story, my writing could become more interesting as well. Fun! That is the most important thing in stories.

           First is hope. It seems to me that Stephen King keeps faith in humans that even from the darkest nights, people have the potential to rise again. The author’s writing style is pretty unique; the narrator is not Andy, the main character who breaks out of Shawshank, but Red, an Irish man ‘institutionalized’ by the prison. Red is not the kind of guy who gallops around trying to help people. Instead, he is a dangerous criminal who murdered his wife for money. The man stayed in prison for 20 years and adapted to the environment too well that it is even frightening for him to go to the ‘outside’ world. So why did Stephen King make this man as the narrator? It is to examine his changes first-hand. Red is telling the story from the future, so he already knows that Andy escaped. That makes the reading really enjoyable, since it constantly gives out hopeful messages. The intensity of Red being fond of Andy makes me smile. Suddenly, I get to find myself wondering desperately when and how, for god’s sake, Andy will escape.

           Moreover, Stephen King uses some skilled tactics. For one thing, the story is in the format of so-called ‘Hero’s Journey.’ It is a cliché structure really, but effective too. Many of the famous movies and novels follow its stages, such as the ordinary world, call to the adventure, meeting of the mentor, the ordeal, the resurrection, and so on. I guess such popularity of Hero’s Journey is because everyone has some desire to be the hero. It is very easy to get 동화 with the main character; as people read, they become to feel the same thing as the main character. Nobody wants to be so melancholy while reading the book.