Shawshank Redemption: Why Brooks Is In Prison

The question of why Brooks in prison in The Shawshank Redemption is one of many ambiguous aspects of the narrative. The award-winning 1994 prison drama, adapted from Stephen King’s Different Seasons – specifically, the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption – not only shortened the title considerably but brought the original story to life in what has since become one of the most beloved films of all time. Its message of hope and perseverance has made it one of cinema’s most iconic films, but there are a few questions that the film doesn’t explicitly answer.

One such question concerns Brooks Hatlen, the elderly prisoner who acted as Shawshank’s librarian, also known as the man who keeps his pet crow inside his coat. In The Shawshank Redemption, Brooks is shown to be one of Shawshank Prison’s longest-serving inmates, serving a total of approximately 50 years before his release. Despite deleted scenes revealing more about Brooks’ bird, The Shawshank Redemption never actually explains what Brooks did to earn such a lengthy prison sentence.

In the film, the closest Brooks gives to an explanation for his incarceration is when he refers to himself as “an old crook”. That’s an awfully vague reason for serving a life sentence, but thankfully, King’s original story offers a more definitive answer to the question. In Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Red explains exactly why Brooks had served such a long sentence: the kindly old librarian murdered his own family.

Despite Brooks’ arc serving as a cautionary tale for Andy about the dangers of institutionalization, the apparently gentle old soul hid a much darker side. Whether Brooks’ release and subsequent suicide (due to being institutionalized) was the catalyst for Andy Dufresne’s escape from Shawshank Prison or not is up for debate, but the character plays a key (and sympathetic) role in Andy’s time in the prison, making his violent past particularly shocking. King’s novel also reveals his motivation for the crime, though, which is actually even more chilling.

In King’s novella, it’s revealed that Brooks murdered his wife and daughter after an unlucky night playing poker. This isn’t exactly characteristic of Brooks as he appears in the film, particularly as The Shawshank Redemption‘s version of the character is actually a combination of two of the novella’s characters: Brooks and Sherwood Bolton, who owned and cared for Jake the crow. However, by giving Brooks a more sensitive side, The Shawshank Redemption actually better demonstrated the character’s institutionalization. Besides, Brooks wasn’t the only character whose backstory was left out, as the film doesn’t explain why Red is in Shawshank, either.

Unlike many other adaptations of Stephen King’s stories, The Shawshank Redemption has far surpassed its source material both in terms of cultural relevance and general popularity. This is most likely down to the ways in which the film changes King’s original story – after all, the emotional gut-punch of Brooks’ death would be far less impactful if the audience was aware of his heinous crime – overall making for a far more satisfying and hopeful story. Whether or not The Shawshank Redemption was right to conceal the real reason Brooks was in prison is a matter for debate, but the film’s lasting popularity certainly seems to justify its changes to the source material.

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