Different Seasons

Zihuatanejo in “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” is the symbol of redemption. It is a resort city on the Pacific coast of Mexico known for its beaches. Andy describes it in glowing terms as a paradise, suggesting that it is an allusion to heaven which Andy reaches after passing through a symbolic death and resurrection from the sewer pipe. The sense of redemption is emphasized by the fact that Andy believes the lore that the Pacific has “no memory” of past sins. Andy reaches the symbolic place of redemption only after he admits to Red that he feels some responsibility for his wife’s death. Red reaches Zihuatanejo when, having been released from prison, he is still imprisoned in his own mind. Andy sets him free by issuing him an invitation, alluding to the forgiveness of sins of Christianity before reaching heaven.

In “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, King uses the motif of hope, announced by the section title: “Hope Springs Eternal”. In the second half of the story, the narrator, Red, speaks of Andy Dufresne in terms of hope. Andy is driven by patience and determination, but he conveys hope to the other Shawshank inmates. In his development of the prison library, he helps inmates to educate themselves in hope of finding an occupation outside of prison.

Red finds that interactions with Andy frequently leave him with a sense of hope that is almost more painful when the reality of prison life closes in again. After Andy’s escape, he becomes a symbolic beacon of hope for Red, offering him an invitation to a quasi-Heaven.

The uniform that Todd gives to Dussander in “Apt Pupil” is a symbol of corruption. Initially, Dussander is hypnotized by wearing the uniform, and Todd is able to order him around like a puppet, making the uniform raise questions regarding Free Will and Existentialism. It also reawakens the corruption to which Dussander contributed and reminds Dussander of the power he once held over the lives and suffering of thousands of people. Once the memory of power returns, Dussander becomes increasingly violent. In effect, the uniform drags Dussander back into the corruption and power of the past.

King uses the motif of fascination with the morbid in “Apt Pupil” and “The Body.” In both stories, boys are fascinated with “gooshy stuff”. A dead body has a fascination for Gordie and his friends. On one level, they want to see something scary and unsettling to test their nerves. On another, they feel a need to understand the mystery of death and through it, to understand the adult world.

Todd’s obsession with torture and debasement is the dark mirror of Gordie and his friends’ fascination. Todd revels in pain and fear. His obsession grows stronger, eventually consuming him. When Gordie and his friends face mortality, they free themselves from false beliefs and inner wounds, whereas Todd pursues mortality by endangering the lives of himself and others.

The story of Sandra Stansfield in “The Breathing Method” is another example of fascination with “gooshy stuff.” This time, the storyteller and his listeners are grown-up boys in their grown-up clubhouse telling creepy stories about beheaded bodies. Where Gordie and his friends are discovering mortality, the “boys” at the club are coming to terms with it from an older age.

The titular body in “The Body” is a symbol of mortality. King uses the perspective of children to view death as a distant unknown. The coming-of-age of the children involves understanding that life is finite. Gordie and Chris absorb this understanding in different ways. Chris makes up his mind to defy the expectations of his neighbors and fulfill his potential. Gordie chooses to share with Chris his own privileged upbringing.

For Gordie, the body also reflects the death of his brother, an event through which he has already been confronted with mortality. He and Denny were too far apart in years to be close, but Denny’s death has left a gap in his family life.

The motif of prison corruption appears in both “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” and “Apt Pupil.” Shawshank is riddled with corruption with administration officials using unpaid prison labor to make a profit and skim a percentage off the top. The biggest and most bold-faced example was the “Inside-Out” program run by Warden Norton, who presented it as prisoner rehabilitation and saving taxpayers money. The use of Red as a narrator who reports these injustices in bland terms reflects the normalization of such corruption.

In “Apt Pupil,” Denker/Dussander falsified camp records and kept some of the prisoners’ valuables for himself. His profiting from the possessions and even the bodies of the prisoners mirrors the actions of wardens in a modern American prison system in “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.” In each case, King illustrates the principle that power corrupts.

Gordie’s dawn encounter with the doe in “The Body” is a benediction. For a moment, Gordie is alone outside the world of men and experiences an encounter with the divine feminine. Gordie doesn’t share that moment with anyone; it is a deeply personal and internal moment. Thereafter, he turns to that memory for strength and consolation. In the archetypal chivalric quest, the hero passes a dark night in contemplation to be blessed with the dawn by the divine feminine/holy ghost, reinforcing the spiritual strength of the hero. Afterward, Gordie has a greater strength which he uses to uplift Chris.