Comparative Question – Three Texts
Small Things Like These, SIVE & The Shawshank Redemption
Introduction
This comparative analysis explores the connections between John B. Keane’s “Sive,” Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption,” and Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These.” While focusing on the key comparative elements outlined in the Leaving Certificate framework, this study examines how these three texts, despite their different settings and time periods, share remarkable thematic parallels.
1. Redemption and Freedom
Sive:
• Unlike the other texts, Sive herself never achieves redemption or freedom
• Her tragic end represents the failure of society to protect its most vulnerable
• Her death serves as a condemnation of those who denied her freedom
• Liam Scuab attempts but fails to be her savior/redeemer
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Andy Dufresne secures his own redemption through perseverance and intelligence
• He tunnels his way to physical freedom after decades of imprisonment
• His redemption stems from refusing to be broken by the system Image by freepik
Small Things Like These:
• Sarah Redmond, like Sive, is trapped by institutional forces beyond her control
• Bill Furlong succeeds where Liam fails – he actually rescues Sarah
• Bill’s redemption comes through moral courage and action on behalf of another
2. Institutional Corruption and Power
Sive:
• The corruption exists within traditional marriage practices and matchmaking
• The “institution” is that of rural Irish cultural norms and economic arrangements
• Thomasheen Sean Rua represents institutionalized exploitation as the matchmaker
• Economic transactions determine human worth and relationships
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Warden Norton and the prison system embody explicit institutional corruption
• Power is maintained through physical violence and psychological control
• The prison represents a microcosm of systemic abuse
Small Things Like These:
• The Catholic Church and Magdalene Laundries represent religious institutional corruption
• Power maintained through moral authority and community complicity
• Economic dependence reinforces the Church’s control over the community
3. Complicit Community
Sive:
• The entire community is aware of the arrangement but remains silent
• Neighbors know about Sive’s situation but don’t intervene
• Mena actively enables the exploitation for financial gain
• Mike’s weakness and passivity make him complicit in Sive’s fate
• Only Nanna and Liam attempt to resist, but are ultimately powerless
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Guards and prisoners alike enable the Warden’s criminal activities
• Red initially accepts his place in the system before Andy inspires change
• The prison community’s complicity stems from fear and resignation
Small Things Like These:
• Townspeople remain passive, afraid to challenge the Church’s authority
• Economic dependence creates fear of retaliation
• Bill’s questioning makes others uncomfortable as it threatens the status quo
4. Economic Hardship and Vulnerability
Sive:
• Poverty drives the central conflict – Sive is sold for £200 and the promise of turf
• Economic desperation makes Mena willing to sacrifice Sive
• Sive’s illegitimacy and orphan status compound her economic vulnerability
• Marriage represents an economic transaction rather than a loving union
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Inmates serve as cheap labor in the prison industrial system
• Released prisoners struggle to reintegrate due to economic barriers
• The Warden’s embezzlement schemes profit from inmates’ exploitation
Small Things Like These:
• Community struggles during economic recession
• Unwed mothers have no economic support system outside the convent
• Women in the laundry are exploited as free labor
• Bill risks his family’s economic security through his moral stand
5. Gender and Exploitation
Sive:
• Young women like Sive are commodified, their value determined by men
• Sive’s beauty makes her valuable as a “product” to be sold
• Women’s choices are severely limited by economic and social constraints
• Men hold the economic and decision-making power
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Less focus on gender exploitation (predominantly male setting)
• Power exploitation primarily based on institutional hierarchy
• Violence used to maintain control over the prison population
Small Things Like These:
• Young women are punished for perceived moral failings
• Unwed mothers bear the social stigma while the fathers escape consequences
• Women’s bodies are controlled through confinement and forced labor
• The patriarchal Church structure reinforces female subjugation
6. Tone and Moral Approach
Sive:
• Deeply tragic with no redemptive ending
• Challenges audience to confront societal complicity
• The tinkers (Pats and his son) serve as a moral chorus and witnesses
• Nanna represents the moral conscience that goes unheeded
The Shawshank Redemption:
• Ultimately hopeful despite depicting institutional cruelty
• Suggests that moral courage and perseverance can overcome corruption
• Andy’s escape represents triumph over a corrupt system
Small Things Like These:
• Cautiously hopeful through Bill’s moral stand
• Shows how individual courage can challenge institutional cruelty
• Acknowledges the personal cost of moral action
Conclusion
These three texts, spanning different decades and settings, demonstrate remarkable similarities in their examination of institutional power, exploitation of the vulnerable, and the moral choices individuals make in response to systemic injustice. While “Sive” presents the most unrelentingly tragic vision, all three works challenge audiences to consider their own moral responsibilities within unjust systems. The texts show how economic hardship can drive exploitation and how communities become complicit in maintaining oppressive structures. Significantly, “Sive” and “Small Things Like These” both specifically examine the exploitation of women in Irish society, while “The Shawshank Redemption” focuses more broadly on institutional corruption and the human capacity for resilience.