"Some birds just weren't meant to be caged," and neither was a man named Andy Dufresne. In "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King, one reads about Andy's incredible escape due to his knowledge of geology and the hope that he had for the chance to start a new life outside prison walls. The study of geology inspired Andy to create pressure to get what he needed from the guards, and to use his time to achieve his freedom.

The pressure that Andy put on the guards was strong enough so that he was able to get things that he needed from them. For example, the screws gave Andy protection from the sisters in return for his services with money laundering. Andy knew he would get what he wanted from the "guardians" because he knew that they owed him enough. Since the screws needed Andy to "wash...