The years, relentless sculptors, carved his will to the stone,
Till prison’s iron sinews bound his own
Beyond those bars, the air lay strange and frail
He gasped for self in freedom’s gale,
For even liberty can wound the man
Who learned to live within a cell
Author’s Note:
The famous phrase written by Jacques Rousseau in his book Social Contract states that “Man is born free yet everywhere he is in chains.” The human being inherently exercises freedom but is limited through constraints in society, laws, and social obligations. The critically acclaimed Hollywood blockbusters examined here include The Shawshank Redemption, Into the Wild, and The Terminal.
Introduction
Freedom is imagined as the absence of physical restraint, the ability to speak without fear, and the right to choose one’s course of action in the pursuit of happiness. Yet we are bound by the social constructs of race, money, nationality, gender, and by the way institutions operate under governments and those in power. These social norms and constructs often confine individuals without visible walls. Human beings are shaped, limited, and often psychologically chained by the institutions they inhabit, and genuine freedom emerges only when individuals learn to navigate these institutions without surrendering their identity.
The pathway to freedom emerges when one recognizes that being free is a choice rather than an option. The individual who sees the light of freedom even when far from his comfort zone in the most desperate place has discovered the route to ultimate realization, and the films discussed here depict exactly how this is achieved. The time it takes to reach this realization does not matter, and one should make the days count rather than count the days. The protagonists in these films show that the chains that bind us are internal rather than external, and these internal chains are the ones we fear the most.
The Shawshank Redemption: Internalizing the Walls
Andy Dufresne enters Shawshank as an innocent man wrongly accused of killing his wife. Although he was filled with rage after discovering her infidelity, his rational and educated mind prevented him from harming her. As soon as he enters the prison, he understands that he could remain there for life and that the system would never willingly set him free. He befriends long term inmates such as Red and Brooks.
Brooks’ character illustrates that confinement can feel like a place of safety and that release does not necessarily equate to freedom. Brooks had spent nearly half a century in jail and worked as a librarian, helping inmates read and learn. After being released at an old age, he found himself outdated and unable to keep up with a world that had transformed in his absence. His tragic decision to end his life suggests that remaining in prison, where he was acknowledged and respected, might have been a more comforting existence for him. His story shows that decades spent in confinement make one so adaptive and connected to it that no other environment feels familiar.
Andy, however, maintains a free mind from the first month in jail despite taking several years to physically escape. It takes him time to learn the environment, but once he realizes that every inmate is human after all, the fear of prison gradually fades. He is assaulted, ridiculed, punished through solitary confinement, and deprived of food. Yet none of this alters his vision of freedom. With patience and determination, he carves a passage through the prison wall using a small tool and escapes through the sewer system with a liberated soul. His escape produces a sense of euphoria for viewers, comparable to cheering for the boys who survived and avenged their abusive officers in the film Sleepers. The reference to The Count of Monte Cristo is significant, as its themes of wrongful imprisonment and escape mirror the journeys of both stories. Andy ultimately avenges the corrupt warden through his knowledge of financial loopholes, and the film concludes with Andy and Red enjoying the money they secured and sharing a beer like free men on a beach in an unknown country.
Into the Wild: The Illusion of Escaping All Institutions
Where Shawshank depicts the chains imposed by confinement, Into the Wild examines the chains imposed by society. Christopher McCandless is a highly intelligent individual who excels academically and is admitted to Harvard University. His parents, after celebrating his acceptance, begin questioning his career path and financial decisions. He and his sister grew up witnessing constant conflict within their home, and the expectations associated with elite academic culture deepen his disillusionment.
He distances himself from his past life, cutting all ties to his family, banks, and possessions, and embarks on a journey to discover his true self. He travels through Alaska and the scenic landscapes of the United States, savoring each moment of the adventure.
The climax occurs when he finds himself deep in the wilderness, reflecting on his life and the forces he sought to escape. After mistakenly consuming poisonous leaves, he realizes his death is imminent and recalls his entire life in a single flash. The scene is both moving and inspirational. His escape into nature, accompanied by the unforgettable music of Eddie Vedder, seems at first like the ultimate path to self-realization. Yet the final message of the film reveals the truth behind his quest: “Happiness is real when shared.”
His belt, marked with all the places he explored and the work he undertook, symbolizes a journey that could have been more meaningful had he shared it with his family. Self-knowledge carries the potential to enlighten others, and his story reminds us that our greatest fear is not inadequacy but the realization of what we are truly capable of once we understand ourselves.
The Terminal: Bureaucracy as Arbitrary Confinement
While the other two films explore psychological confinement, The Terminal presents a subtler yet equally compelling portrayal of how institutions imprison individuals through impersonal mechanisms. Viktor Navorski becomes trapped in an airport terminal due to geopolitical changes that invalidate his passport. Unlike Andy or Chris, he is confined not by ideology or personal choices but by the rigid and unfeeling machinery of modern bureaucracy.
Most people have spent long hours in an airport terminal, observing the expressions and emotions of travelers. First time travelers and business travelers are easily distinguishable. Viktor, unfamiliar with the language, deals with bureaucracy using his practical intelligence and street wise instincts. He finds peace, love, friendship, and a sense of belonging in a place that initially seems hopeless. Those he encounters view him as awkward and even as a threat to their positions. He helps a friend win the affection of a woman in exchange for food, and he befriends an Indian janitor who fears that Viktor will take his job.
The film also portrays the struggles of immigrants in a realistic and empathetic manner. Bureaucratic officials often view immigrants with suspicion and treat them harshly, causing them to question why they left home at all. Yet, like Viktor, many immigrants find their way and pursue the American dream. The character is inspired by a real life individual who eventually became a naturalized citizen and even returned to work at the airport where he was once stranded. People often revisit the places that challenged them in order to understand their past and find closure.
The Terminal suggests that freedom lies not in escaping institutions but in how one lives within them. Viktor’s ability to maintain his identity despite being in limbo reinforces the thesis that true freedom is a balance between structure and self-definition. Even in a space not designed to be a prison, he displays agency and dignity while acknowledging institutional authority.
Synthesis: The Paradox of Being Free in Chains
Together, these three films provide a unified critique of modern life. Prisons, societies, and bureaucracies shape human identity far more profoundly than physical constraints. They create expectations, fears, and dependencies that limit autonomy even when the body is free. Yet these films also show that institutions are not entirely oppressive. They sometimes provide the structure necessary for survival and meaning, which is an important takeaway.
The paradox is clear. The world offers endless choices, yet people often feel confined. The chains we carry are not always placed upon us; at times we create them ourselves. Andy resists institutionalization. Red struggles to overcome it. Brooks cannot survive without it. McCandless rejects institutions entirely but discovers that absolute freedom can become a prison. Viktor lives within an arbitrary institutional trap yet finds dignity and agency.
These characters demonstrate that freedom is not the absence of institutions but the ability to engage with them without losing oneself. That is the central argument connecting the three films and supporting the thesis. Engagement without alarm is the ultimate means of overcoming institutionalization.
Conclusion
The exploration of institutionalization in The Shawshank Redemption, Into the Wild, and The Terminal reveals that the most powerful chains are not physical but psychological and social. The films argue that individuals must confront the institutions that shape their identity and decide whether to be defined by them. True freedom is neither total escape nor total submission but a deliberate negotiation of the structures that guide human life. Through their struggles, the characters affirm that the world is indeed free yet in chains and that freedom lies in how we navigate those chains rather than in pretending they do not exist. As human beings, we should strive to avoid becoming institutionalized and seek to discover the self. It is our duty to search for the right answers and remain committed to the path of self-discovery, recognizing the signs that lead us toward ultimate realization.