In "Shawshank Redemption" is Andy an Existential Hero?I know I already asked this, but im looking for a little more information. If Yes, give...

Sartre has three categories of freedom: the man whom he compares to stones (no freedom), the man he compares to plants (some freedom), and the true person (complete freedom).  The Warden, the guards, and most of the other prisoners are stones.  Brooks was a stone.  He hated his freedom.  Red is a plant.  Andy is the true person.  He moves Red from a plant to a true person by the novella's end.

Kierkegaard, the father of modern existentialism, says an existential hero must move from resignation to faith.  In his famous work, he begins with a Kierkegaardian "Knight of Infinite Resignation" and arrives at a "Knight of Faith." Kierkegaard says the knight of infinite resignation focuses his life around an infinitely important goal, but soon realizes that his goal cannot be reached, inevitably, for whatever reason. Even though he hates his situation, he resolves to be infinitely frustrated by his inabilities both to reach and stop reaching for is goal. Thus, he creates the illusion of a spiritual journey, looking to use ethical arguments to elicit pity from all to become a tragic hero. The knight of faith, however, steps outside the ethical into the spiritual realm and becomes an "individual example of an ethical suspension for a greater purpose—a purpose which is generally irrational and absurd—actually inviting those surrounding to pity themselves."

So, an existential hero is the opposite of a tragic hero.  Andy refuses to be blinded by his own false spiritual journey.  He refuses to suicide at the end, as Red thought.  Andy is the only prisoner who knows that his purpose inside the prison is irrational and absurd; instead of self-pity and resignation, he digs himself out of his cell and cashes in on his freedom.  He realizes his past mistakes and knows that his suffering in prison is his own responsibility and even necessary to his spiritual journey.

Remember, existentialism is an attack on essentialism.  The Warden is an essentialist.  He sees prisoners as prisoners, Christians as Christians, good as good, and evil as evil.  He labels according to what he sees as a fixed human nature; he limits choice; he doesn't see that Christians can be criminals and that criminals can be good.  Andy attacks and exposes the Warden's essentialism.