The Green Mile
Characters:
Coffey: caught for raping and murdering the Dett. Tw
ins.
Black, docile, slow, not educated
Frightened in the dark
From the south
Kind of magic
Paul: narrator headscrew, married, had a urinary infection and so he found out that Coffey has a "gift of God"
Percy: mean, brutal, evil, related to the governor
Wharton: evil, crazy, mad, he actually murdered the twins, he is a good actor (plays the quiet sick man and then he starts fighting, when they bring him to the E-Block)
About the electric chair:
Old Sparky is sitting upon a plank platform at the southeast corner of the storeroom . He has stout oak legs , broad oak legs , broad oak arms that had absorbed the terrorized sweat of scares of men in the last minutes of their live and a metal cap .A cord ran from it and through a gasket - circled hole in the cinder block wall behind the chair . Before an execution a sponge was soaked in brine to better conduct the charge of direct current electricity that ran through the wire , through the sponge and into the condemned man`s brain -> Usually King only wrote facts , but when he used expressions like ,, terrorized sweat ,, it makes you feel horrified and anxious .
The capital punishment:
The criminal walks down the Green Mile , (corridor ) stops at the office and a priest prays with him . He walks further the corridor and stops in the storeroom , where Old Sparky is placed .( About forty chairs and /or witnesses are in place ) . The criminal sits down in the electric chair and his ankles get secured . Also the warders clamp his wrists . Then one of the guards says : ,, Roll on one !" Then he says to the criminal :" , you have been condemned to die in the electric chair , sentence passed by a jury of your peers and imposed by a judge in good standing in his state . God save the people of this state . Do you have anything to say before sentence is carried out ?"
Then the criminal has time to say something , before he gets the mask , the wet sponge and the metal cap .
After that the guard says : ,, , electricity shall now be passed through your body until
you are dead , in accordance with state law. May God have mercy on your soul , Roll on two !"
Effects on the witnesses
moral : it`s immoral to be a murder now too , just because somebody killed a relative , you don`t make anything better !
physical :They get sick and lose consciousness , even the doctor
They watch somebody dying and many of them cannot really handle that
psychological : They feel eased , because they think that the horrible past has stopped now . They don`t want to think about it anymore.
Repetitions between the executions
They get shaved
They leave their cells with no protest
Walk up the Green Mile
Office : pray ( with brother Schuster ) Lot of people sit in their chairs to watch Sit down , fix feet
Get mask on , wet sponge
Get metal cap
First step : ,, roll on one ,, warden talks to him ,, roll on two ,, doctor comes
Contrasts
Delacroix :
Percy on position didn`t put on the wet sponge ( didn`t make it wet ) Burned · stunk ·
Witnesses lost consciousness
Coffey :
Paul takes necklace
Everybody is really sad -> cries , Paul prays with Coffey Dettericks shout mean things
Doesn`t get the mask ( afraid of darkness ) Paul gives him his hand
Rehersal Del : Percy is on the head position King critizes:
He criticize death penalty when he lets the people ( reader ) know , that Coffey didn`t kill the kids , but Wharton . But Coffey gets killed ! He shows how brutal death penalty can be and how hard the job for wardens sometimes is.
The Detterick case
Claus Dett. & his wife live in a farm house with their twin girls Cora & Kathe.
On a warm night in June asked for and were given permission to sleep on the screen - enclosed side porch of the house. Their mother kissed them good night and this was the final time she saw them until they were in their coffins and the undertaker had repaired the worst of damage.
Next morning Klaus & Marjorie went out onto the porch and found it empty. The screendoor had been yanked off and on the boards of it were spotters of blood. They found Brower, the dog, lying dead in front of the porch.
A group of men started to search for the twins. They found Cora & Kathy lying in the arms of the biggest man they've ever seen. Their bodies were bloody, they had been rapped and killed apparently by this big black man, John Coffey.
Repetitions/contrasts-wonder cure
mouse Melinda Paul
Percy stepped on it tumor urinary infection almost dead almost dying bad sickness
Let bad things out of his mouth Everything gets lightened
They got old then ( mouse , Paul )
Can`t remember remembers (sickness ) everything
many people around many people around alone with Coffey Del watched it
Took mouse in hand kissed her touched penis Gives him necklace brings cornbread Why Mister Jingle
1.) Mr. Jingles shows the good character of Delacroix
2.) Mr. Jingles shows at the end that the story is true , when Paul shows him to Elaine (age shows it's a wonder) .
3.) Mr. Jingles structures the story: they find parts of his spool-> remember everything.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the main characters in "The Green Mile"?
The main characters include Coffey (a black man accused of rape and murder), Paul (the narrator and headscrew), Percy (a mean and brutal guard), and Wharton (the actual murderer of the twins).
What is "Old Sparky"?
Old Sparky is the electric chair used for capital punishment. The text describes its physical appearance and how it's used during executions.
How is capital punishment described in the text?
The text details the process of an execution, from the walk down the Green Mile to the executioner saying the set phrases as the electric current flows.
What are the effects of witnessing an execution described as?
The effects are broken down into moral (questioning the morality of murder), physical (witnesses getting sick), and psychological (feeling eased but wanting to forget).
What are some of the repetitions observed between executions?
Repetitions include shaving the condemned's head, walking up the Green Mile without protest, praying, securing the prisoner in the chair, applying the mask and sponge, and the warden's dialogue ("Roll on one," "Roll on two").
What contrasts are highlighted in the text?
Contrasts include Delacroix's execution (Percy's negligence leading to a botched execution) and Coffey's execution (where everyone is deeply saddened and Paul prays with him).
What happened in the Detterick case?
The twin girls of Claus and Marjorie Detterick were found murdered after sleeping on the porch of their farmhouse. John Coffey was found holding their bodies and accused of the crime.
What is the significance of Mr. Jingles?
Mr. Jingles (a mouse) serves several purposes: demonstrating Delacroix's good character, proving the story's truth through the mouse's longevity, structuring the story through references to the spool, and highlighting Percy's cruel nature.
What is the "wonder cure" mentioned in the text and who is it applied to?
The "wonder cure" refers to Coffey's ability to absorb illnesses and injuries from others. This is shown in the text where Coffey heals the mouse, Melinda, and Paul (of his urinary infection).
What is the text suggesting when it critiques death penalty, in context to the characters John Coffey and Wharton?
The text suggests the death penalty may be unjust, especially as it lets people know that Coffey did not kill the kids, but Wharton. But Coffey gets killed. He shows how brutal death penalty can be and how hard the job for wardens sometimes is.
- Quote paper
- Caroline Kleemann (Author), 2000, King, Stephen - The Green Mile, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/98366
