肖申克的救赎精讲
RED: And that's how it came to pass, that on the second-to-last day of the job, the
convict crew that tarred the plate factory roof in the spring of '49 wound up sitting in a
row at ten o'clock in the morning, drinking icy cold Bohemian style of beer, courtesy of
the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at Shawshank State Prison.
HADLEY: Drink up while it's cold, ladies.
RED: The colossal prick even managed to sound magnanimous.
RED: We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders, and fel t like free men. We could'a been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the l ords of all creation .
RED: As for Andy, he spent that break hunkered in the shade, a strange little smile on his face, watching
us drink his beer.
HEYWOOD: Want a cold one, Andy.
ANDY: No thanks. I gave up drinking.
RED: You could argue he'd done i t to curry favor wi t h the guards. Or maybe make a few friends among us cons. Me, I think he did it just to feel if only for a short while.
妙词佳句，活学活⽤
1. wind up：这⾥要特别注意wind⼀词的发⾳/waind/, 作动词，wind up的意思是“使⾃⼰处于某种状态或某个地⽅”。如：“He wound up drunk.（他不知不觉醉了。）”在影⽚⾥整句话描述的是⼲活的犯⼈们坐在
⼀起喝啤酒的这种状态。
2. Bohemian：本意是“波希⽶亚的”. 这是⼀个时下相当流⾏的词语，⽽在20世纪五⼗年代到七⼗年代，也是备受嬉⽪⼠(Hippies)和“垮掉的⼀代（the Beat Generation）”所推崇的⽣活⽅式。所以这个词的意思更多的是“放荡不羁的，不合习俗的，玩世不恭的”。但是影⽚的这句台词⾥，Bohemian的意思更贴近其本意，
指的是啤酒的⼝味。
3. lords of all creation：造物主。这⾥可不是单指上帝。很多宗教中的造物主不⽌⼀个，所以⽤Lords⽽不
是Lord。
4. curry favor：这是⼀个很有意思的词组，意思是“拍马屁”。curry有两个意思，⼀是⽤马梳给马刷拭，另⼀个是咖喱粉，或者做动词，意思是“⽤咖喱给⾷物调味”。但是curry和favor放在⼀起就成了“拍
马屁”的意思。⽣活中那些擅长拍马屁的⼈总是招⼈厌烦的。如：She always curries favor with her manager, which annoys most of her colleagues. （她总是在经理那⼉拍马屁，这⼀点让⼤部分同事们都觉得讨厌。）
思想⽕花
这个⽚段是安迪在监狱中凭借⾃⼰的专业和智慧求⽣存的第⼀次体现。他通过帮海德利
警官填税单，帮狱友们争取到了每⼈三瓶啤酒。瑞德在这个⽚段的独⽩⾥所说的⼏句话，
如...felt like free men./ We were the Lords of all Creation. / I think he did it just to feel
if only for a short while. 这些话在我们这些⾃由的⼈听来可能没有多少
感触，但是对于影⽚中的这些终⾝监禁的犯⼈们来说，能在早晨的阳光下坐在监狱外的
⼀个屋顶上，懒洋洋地喝着冰啤酒，简直就是⼀种奢侈。当⾃由的、正常的⽣活不复存
在的时候，我们对它的期望也会增⼤，总会想尽⼀切办法去重新感受这样的⽣活，哪怕就只有⼀⼩会⼉也
好。安迪就是这样做的。
⽂化⾯⾯观
美国监狱现状
美国的监狱⼀直是⼈满为患。虽然美国政府在20世纪的后30年⼜在建造监狱上花费了数百亿美元，但是⾯对百万囚犯⼤军，这
种“供需⽭盾
”仍难缓解。20世纪70年代以来，美国⼥囚犯的数
量也急剧增加。为了应付迅速增加的⼥囚⼈数，美国政府不断增
建⼥囚监狱。据统计，在20世纪30年代到50年代，美国平均
每10年增建2.5个⼥囚监狱；60年代增建7个；70年代增建17
个；80年代增建34个。然⽽，⼥监“供不应求”的状况仍未改变。据美国司法部最近公布的数字，从1980年⾄2000年，美国监狱
的犯⼈总数增加了4倍，达到200万⼈，约占全世界在押犯⼈总数的四分之⼀，从⽽使美国成为世界上在押犯⼈最多的国家。由于犯⼈数量猛增，原有监狱设施远远不能满⾜需要，政府不得不⼤兴⼟⽊，建造新的监狱。据报道，在过去10年中，美国各州共建造了3300所新监狱，花费达250亿美元。全国每年为维
持监狱运转的费⽤⾼达300亿美元。美国政府在监狱⽅⾯的投资是在教育⽅⾯投资的6倍。
监狱空前“繁荣”的⼀个社会代价是成千上万的⼉童⽆⼈看管，许多犯⼈的⼦⼥由亲戚照顾或托⼈临时照看，有的则被送进福利院。据联邦司法统计局估计，⽗母⼀⽅在监狱服刑的⼉童⽬前在全国共有150万⼈，⽐1991年增加了50多万，其中有⼀半来⾃⿊⼈家庭，另有20％来⾃拉美裔家庭。这些⽆⼈照管的孩⼦极易出现⼼理障碍，并染上逃学、、打架⽃殴等坏习惯，甚⾄⾛上更严重的犯罪道路。专家估计，在这些
孩⼦中，有⼀半男孩最终会⾛上犯罪道路。
考考你
whatever什么意思把下⾯的句⼦换个⽅式表达。
1） We were the lords of all creation.
2） You could argue he'd done it to curry favor with the guards.
RED: What the hell's going on?
SNOOZE: You tell me. One second he was fine, then out came the knife.
RED: Brooks, Brooks, we can talk about this right?
A pic by Layne Kennedy
BROOKS: Nothing left to talk about! I t's damn all talked out! I'm gonna kill him, cut his throat!
RED: Hey, wait, wait! What's he done to you?
BROOKS: It's what they done! I got, I got no choice!
ANDY: Brooks, you're not gonna hurt Heywood, we all know that. Even Heywood knows it, right
Heywood?
HEYWOOD: Sure. I know that. Sure.
ANDY: You know why you're not gonna hurt him? Because he's a friend of yours, because Brooks Hatlen
is a reasonable man.
RED: That's right. That's right! Is that right, guys?
ANDY: So put the knife down. Brooks, Brooks, look at me. Put the knife down! Brooks, look at his neck,
for God's sake . Look at his neck. He's bleeding.
BROOKS: But it's the the only way they'd let me stay.
ANDY: This is crazy. Come on. You don't wanna do this. Put it down. Look at me. Take it easy. You'll be all
right.
HEYWOOD: Him? What about me? Crazy old fool! Goddamn near cut my throat!
RED: You've had it worse from shaving. What the hell did you do to set him off anyway?
HEYWOOD: I didn't do nothin' ! Just came in to say fare-thee-well. Ain't you heard? His parole came
through!
ANDY: I just don't understand what happened in there, that's all.
HEYWOOD: Old man's crazy as a rat in a tin shithouse, is what.
RED: Heywood, that's enough out of you.
CON: I heard he had you shitting your pants.
HEYWOOD: **** you!
RED: You do knock it off! Brooks ain't no bug. He'he's just institutionalized .
HEYWOOD: Institutionalized, my ass .
RED: The man's been in here fifty years. Heywood, fifty years! This is all he knows. In here, he's an important man. He's an educated man. Outside, he's nothing but a used-up con with arthritis in both hands. Probably couldn't get a library card if he tried. You know what I'm trying to say?
FLOYD: Red, I do believe you're talking out of your ass .
RED: You believe whatever you want, Floyd. But I'm telling you these walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on 'em. That's "insti t utionalized".
JIGGER: ****. I could never get like that.
ERNIE: Oh, yeah? Say that when you've been here as long as Brooks has.
RED: Goddamn right. They send you here for life, and that's exactly what they take. Part that counts,
anyway.
妙词佳句，活学活⽤
1. What the hell's going on?
这个句⼦的意思很好懂，What's going on相当于What happened, the hell表⽰强调，意思为“到底”。hell 在⼝语中使⽤频率很⾼，除了这⾥的the hell, 还有意思相同的in hell以外，我们经常见到的由hell
构成的词组还有：
1）a / one hell of (a) 表⽰强调，意思为“极好的/极糟的”。
< Forrest Gump is a hell of a good soldier. 阿⽢是⼀个绝对出⾊的⼠兵。
2）go to hell （粗）去你的，见⿁去吧。
3）feel / look like hell （感觉或⽓⾊）很差。
< After the operation, I looked like hell for a long time.
4) as hell 表⽰强调，意为“⾮常”。
< She is smart, independent, pretty as hell. 她聪明，独⽴，⽽且⾮常漂亮。
2. For God's sake!
这是⼀句感叹句，意思为“看在上帝的份上”。在英语中有各种各样的感叹句，除了这⼀句以外，还有很多
常⽤表达，如：
Oh my God / Jesus / Christ / Jesus H Christ / Holy **** / God / Good Heavens / Oh my/ Oh boy 等等，
不胜枚举。
3. set off
在它这⾥不再是我们熟悉的“出发，启程”的意思，⽽是“引起（突发的动作），导致（突然的活动）”，或者更形象⼀点，表
⽰“引爆”。（set off 本⾝就有“使爆炸”的意思。）
< The news set off a rush activity. 这个消息让⼈蜂拥⽽动。
4. didn't do nothing
这⾥的双重否定仍表达否定的意思，即didn't do anything。
这种双重否定表⽰否定的⽤法在美国⼝语中很常见，⼀般只有
粗⼈或没⽂化的⼈才会这么讲。
5. knock it off
这是美式俚语的表达，意思是“住嘴！别吵了；住⼿，别胡闹！”
6. bug
肯定不是“⾍⼦”，这⾥也是俚语的⽤法，意思是“疯⼦”。在⼝语中还有很多其它的词表⽰这个意思，如nuts, insane, crazy, wacky, mad, cracked等，这些都是在⼝语中的绝对⾼频词汇，在电影中我们也经常听到。
7. institutionalized
“成为制度化的，成为习惯的”，这⾥是指习惯于监狱⽣活。
8. my ass
这⾥的意思是you must be joking的意思。
9. talk out of your ass
⼤家都知道ass是指“屁屁”，这句话实在是侮辱⼈的讲法，相当于you're talking garbage。
⽂化⾯⾯观
Parole in the United States
Parole is the early supervised release of a prison inmate. In most states, mere good conduct while incarcerated in and of itself does not necessarily guarantee that an inmate will be paroled; other factors may enter into the decision to grant or deny parole, most commonly the establishment of a permanent residence and immediate, gainful employment or some other clearly visible means of self-support upon release (such as Social Security if the prisoner is old enough to qualify). Many states now permit sentences of life imprisonment wi t hout the possibility of parole (such as for murder), and any prisoner not sentenced to either this or the death penalty will eventually have the right to petition for release (one state - Alaska -maintains neither the death penalty nor life imprisonment wi t hout parole as sentencing
options).
Parole is a controversial political topic in the United States; during elections, politicians whose administrations parole any large number of prisoners (or, perhaps, one notorious crimin al) are typically attacked by their opponents as being "soft on crime". The US Department of Justice (DOJ) stated in 2004 that about 60% of parolees completed their sentences successfully, while 15% were returned to prison, and 4% absconded. These statistics, the DOJ says, are relatively unchanged since 1995; even so, some states (including New York) have abolished parole altogether for violent f
elons, and the federal government abolished it in 1984 for all offenders convicted of a federal crime, whether violent or not.
Despite the decline in jurisdictions with a functioning parole system, the
average annual growth of parolees was an increase of about 1.5% per
year between 1995 and 2002.
思想⽕花
这部影⽚在institutionalized⼀词上颇下了点功夫。Brooks是⼀个制度化的典范，他之所以伤害Heywood 是因为只有这样，他的假释才不能通过，他才可以继续留在已经⽣活了50年的监狱中。监狱⾥的⼀切都是他所熟知的。正如Red所说，在监狱⾥因为他所受的教育，他还是个⼈物，是个图书管
理员，但是⼀但⾛
出监狱他就什么都不是了，⼏乎就是个废⼈。
⼈⼀旦适应了某种⽣活，却突然间要改变的话，会给⼼理上带来巨⼤的恐慌，有时甚⾄会做出极端的⾏为。Brooks这次的⾏为没有达到预期的结果，他带着对外⾯世界的恐惧⽽不是向往⾛出了监狱。很快我们就知道，在⼀个没有⾃⼰熟悉的制度所约束的世界⾥，⽣存对于这个制度化的典范是⼀件极其困难的事情。50年的监狱⽣涯没有磨去Brooks⽣存的欲望，监狱外的短短数⽉却使他失去了活下去的信⼼。他最终选择把⾃⼰吊死在过渡教习所的房间⾥。当我们看到Brooks之死时，不得不为
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