| NOTE: This page is only referring to Samuel's film incarnation, as his book counterpart is not considered The Ultimate Evil, thus only info about his movie adaptation goes here. |
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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | Nothing stops. Nothing... Or you will do the hardest time there is. No more protection from the guards. I'll pull you outta that one-bunk Hilton and cast you down with the sodomites. You'll think you've been f-cked by a train. And that library? Gone. Sealed off, brick by brick. We'll have us a little book barbecue in the yard. They'll see the flames for miles. We'll dance around it like wild Injuns. You understand me? Catching my drift?... Or am I being obtuse? | ” |
| ~ Samuel threatening Andy into continuing to run his scams by saying he'll hand him back to the prison rapists. |
Samuel Norton is the main antagonist of the 1994 film adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption.
He is the warden of Shawshank prison. While at first seeming like an affable individual who placed his faith in God. He is in reality, a scummy leader who exploits Andy Dufresne in order to keep himself in power.
He was portrayed by BobGunton.
Actions and Characteristics[]
- He has by far the highest amount of power and authority of any villain in the movie due to being the warden of Shawshank Prison.
- He's shown to be highly intelligent, with him putting up a front of being an affable warden who believes in God, who in all reality is a twisted individual desperate to keep himself in power. He also had the idea to give Andy protection from the rapists and torturers in exchange for Dufresne laundering money for him due to his skills as a banker.
- He has a relatively high amount of influence over the film due to running Shawshank and doing little to stop the non-stop rapes and other heinous crimes that go on in the prison. He is also responsible for Andy not being able to prove his innocence in the murder of his wife due to ordering Hadley to kill Tommy, who was the only person alive who could prove Andy's innocence, causing him to spend many extra years in prison before escaping.
- The film has a level of symbolism to Norton's actions. While he presented himself as an affable warden that believed in God, he was actually a bigger demon then almost all of his prisoners and he broke two of the Ten Commandments by killing Tommy and lying about his actions at the prison. He also dies by committing suicide despite the Bible condemning it, showing that while Norton makes himself seem like an honest Christian on the outside, he is really a cowardly and cruel demon on the inside.
- He is one of the films cruelest and most heinous characters by enabling and taking advantage of the hellish nature of Shawshank by threatening to hand over prisoners to the rapists if they don't do what he asks of them, allowing Hadley and other guards to brutally torture and even kill prisoners, giving Andy 2 months in solitary confinement out of spite and to teach Andy that he is under his control no matter what and attempting to keep Andy in prison indefinitely so he can help him with his scams.
Stats[]
| Intelligence | 3 / 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | 4 / 5 | |
| Speed | 1 / 5 | |
| Stamina | 1 / 5 | |
| Strength | 1 / 5 |
For information on stats, review the stats page.