Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Res Philosophica
Abstract
In this essay, I consider how the theological virtue of hope might be practiced. I will first explain Thomas Aquinas's account of this virtue, including its structural relation to the passion of hope, its opposing vices, and its relationship to the friendship of charity. Then, using narrative and character analysis from the film The Shawshank Redemption, I examine a range of hopeful and proto-hopeful practices concerning both the goods one hopes for and the power one relies on to attain those goods. In particular, I show how the film's picture of the role friends and friendship play in catalyzing hope is a compelling metaphor for Christian hope's reliance on God.
First Page
387
Last Page
410
Publication Date
2014
Recommended Citation
DeYoung, Rebecca Konyndyk, "Practicing Hope" (2014). University Faculty Publications and Creative Works. 703.
https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/calvin_facultypubs/703
Included in
Applied Ethics Commons, Christianity Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons