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Kristin Copeland
Ms. Bolton
Literature, Film and the Media
3 May 2013
The Evolution of Relationships
Almost everyone has heard the saying, You cant judge a book by its cover, but people
often make that mistake. The Shawshank Redemption is a film which had its screenplay written
by Frank Darabont. It is the story of two men who are inmates and how they survive the terrible
prison system through their friendship. Avatar is a science fiction film directed by James
Cameron that tells a futuristic tale of an ex-Marine named Jake Sully who, through the Avatar
program, learns to love and appreciate nature. Beauty and the Beast is an animated film directed
by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. It is the classic tale of a magic spell cast on a prince who
becomes a terrible beast. He captures a beautiful girl who he must get her to fall in love with
him or the spell will last forever. Relationships change as people are influenced by the
circumstances in their lives. Some factors that affect this change include time spent together and
the opinions of others. The changing of relationships can be clearly seen in The Shawshank
Redemption, Avatar, and Beauty and the Beast.
When two people first meet, they immediately create an impression of each other in their
heads, based on the others appearance, the way they talk, or perhaps even things theyve heard
about the other person. I must admit I didnt think much of Andy first time I laid eyes on him.
He mighta been important on the outside, but in here he was just a little turd in prison grays.
Looked like a stiff breeze could blow him over. That was my first impression of the man. (12,

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Darabont) These are the words of Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding as he describes his first impression
of Andy. Red obviously wasnt very impressed with Andy when he first arrived, but it is found
that Red was mistaken about Andy. In the movie Avatar, Neytiris first impression of Jake was
that he was just an immature human who wasnt very smart. Her prejudice against humans made
it easy to make this quick judgment. In the animated feature Beauty and the Beast, Belle and the
Beast have mutual feelings of dislike immediately. The Beast was holding Belles father in
prison so of course she had a bad opinion of him. All of the first impressions in these examples
were negative at first but time saw them change into something better over time.
Many people think they are free of prejudice. If they discover that they do, indeed, have
prejudices, many factors can help eliminate them. In The Shawshank Redemption, one of the
ways that Reds bias against Andy changed was when Andy asked him to get him a rock hammer.
Andy just enjoyed discovering rocks and he knew that Red could get the instrument for him.
This was the beginning of mutual interest and respectAndy asked for Reds help and shared an
interest with him. Red felt respected and honored the request, of course with a price. In Avatar,
Neytiri rescues Jake who sees this as an opportunity to get closer to the Navi people. She
doesnt trust him and tries to get him to go away but Jake is very stubborn. While this
interchange is going on, Neytiri witnesses a sign of Jake being chosen by their Goddess and she
takes him to the leaders of her clan. Neytiris mother put her in charge of teaching Jake the ways
of their people. By spending so much time with him, she learns that all humans are not the same
and begins to appreciate and care for him. Our other film, Beauty and the Beast, shows
frustration on both sides of the relationship between Belle and Beast. Beast finds Belle difficult
to deal with and she thinks he is angry and demanding. Things started to change as the Beast
warms up to here and is given the proper methods of being social. He began to be more polite,

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refined, and considerate and she responded gratefully. Empathy and compassion are elements
that soften relationships and always improve them.
When a person begins to empathize with another, it is the beginning of understanding and
relationship. Walls are easily erected when we meet people. Trust is something that is earned,
sometimes very slowly. Andy was mistreated by some of the prisoners in The Shawshank
Redemption. Red could not help but feel sorry for him and did what little he could to help him.
Neytiri slowly starts to realize what a terrific and courageous guy Jake is and even starts to fall in
love with him. Beast gives Belle his library, a gesture that means a lot to Belle as books are her
favorite thing. Once you get past first impressions, it is an adventure getting to know a person.
Relationships change over time because people get to know one another better and they
can see each others point of view. After a dismal beginning, they may even fall in love or
become best friends. First impression are not always accurate. Factors that break down
preconceived ideas include other peoples opinions, length of time spent together, and
compassion for human suffering. Empathy and compassion build relationships.