Being the hardest screw to ever walk a turn at Shawshank State Prison and all I never understood why he bought them beer? He could've just gotten the forms and forced Andy to fill them out.
Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy afterall....assuming we ignore the multiple murders he committed that we know of.
Maybe he pissed in the beers (they were in the bucket already opened)
I'm curious. What're your thoughts?
Even horrible people can be capable of showing gratitude. It was just some beer, he probably figured what the hell. After all Andy helped save him a lot of money
shareYep...it's this sort of reasoning is what, in part, keeps people in abusive relationships.
"They're not that bad! They treated me nicely once"
Because he got lots of money.
It wasn't that big of a deal to buy a few beers in order to get the money Andy could save him. Just like the warden did have any problem cutting deals and bending rules for Andy in order to get the money he did.
It was worth it to them to keep Andy happy and everyone rich than to ruffle things. You saw how evil the warden could get when Andy tried to ruffle things though......murder and endless time in the dark cell.
Probably talked it over with the rest of the screws and realized that Andy could be a useful long-term tool to have around.
Besides, how often do colossal pricks ever get to be magnanimous??
Also, I think deep down he had a sense of righteousness, albeit a warped one. Remember...he also gave that other inmate a beating for attacking Andy in the laundry room.
shareI think that was more along the lines that he had a valuable prisoner who could do things for him and the other guards. So he was protecting his investment and sending a message: HANDS OFF.
shareProbably because it made him feel powerful. They were totally at his Mercy, and he could either mistreat them as he often did, or treat them. Both modes of treatment are a function of his need to dominate them completely, likely to compensate for lacking that control in other areas of his life.
shareIt was just showing that even he could lighten up a little if someone showed him respect. Hence when Red commented on him being magnanimous. He couldn’t bring himself to actually say thank you verbally, so the beers were his way of saying “I’m still in control but here’s a bone I’m willing to throw you for helping me.” Even the hardest of people can show some kindness when something works out in their favor. Andy probably saved him the equivalent of well over a half million dollars by today’s standards.
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Also, Hadley beat Boggs half to death for attacking Andy, and this was *before* the warden and the rest of the screws found Andy useful for income tax, college funds, and a book cooker. Hadley, to his credit, knew Andy saved him a lot of money and even though the beer was the agreed upon payment for filing the IRS form, and took care of Andy's Boggs problem as well.
But it was Boggs... Not to sound too sadistic but the beating of Boggs is one of the most gratifying moments of the film. Hearing that punk-ass weasel crying out "No!" over and over again would have been very satisfying. Hadley may not have cared much about Boggs' victims but probably found him disgusting on several levels. Having an inmate as a predator on other inmates probably struck some kind of nerve with Hadley even if Hadley wasn't real chummy with the inmates.
Evil to combat evil, so to speak.
I agree that Hadley's beating of Boggs is great, but if you watch Hadley throughout the film, he doesn't care much about anything. He's the captain so he's been in the system a long time and most likely figures prison violence and rape is part and parcel for what the convicts endure being locked up. I doubt he cared about Boggs being a rapist as much as he raped a guy who saved him a crapload of money.
Look how Hadley beat up Fat Ass. That guy was crying for his mommy and not only did Hadley not take any sympathy for his plight, but he he beat him to death for it.
I think Hadley enjoyed beating up people who couldn't fight back. I doubt Hadley cared one way or the other what Boggs' did.
I prefer to ask the question - how long did Hadley give them to drink it? Did he rush them? I could see him doing this.
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