Book Review: The Green Mile by Stephen King

Rating: 5/5

I remember seeing “The Green Mile” when I was in fifth grade which was in 2000 or 2001. Ever since then this has been one of my favorite movies of all time. Not long after I saw the movie, my parents let me read the book. Keep in mind that I was eleven or twelve at the time. Even though I understood the general idea of the novel/movie, I never really understood the true meaning of the story. Throughout the past thirteen years I’ve revisited the Green Mile. It’s been a few years since I’ve either seen the movie or read the book. After rereading the book, I’ve rekindled my love for this heart wrenching story.

The Green Mile starts out in the Georgia Pines retirement home. Paul Edgecombe is drawn by an unknown force to write down his experiences as a prison guard on death row in the year 1932. Through Paul, the odd events that occur when John Coffey arrived on the Green Mile are brought back to life.

John Coffey, his last name is like the drink only not spelled the same, is a towering black man who has been condemned to die in the electric chair for the rape and murder to two, white little girls. He is escorted to E block just like every other prisoner. However, it’s not long before Paul and the other guards find out that Coffey is far from ordinary.

As Paul continues to recount his memories, it becomes clear that John Coffey has healing powers. He healed Paul’s painful urinary infection, brought Mr. Jingles, a strangely intelligent mouse, back from the brink of death, and removed an non-operational brain tumor from the Warden’s wife. One of the most important lines in this novel is something that John Coffey repeats quite often; “I couldn’t help it. I tried to take it back, but it was too late“.

Stephen King has a natural talent for creating three-dimensional characters that pull at the reader’s emotions. The regular guards on the Green Mile: Paul Edgecombe, Brutus Howell, Dean Stanton, and Harry Terwwilliger, are characters that the reader can trust. It’s extremely difficult to dislike these guys because of their caring, good natured personalities. Stephen King also has a great talent for creating characters that are easy to hate.

Percy Wetmore and William “Wild Bill” Wharton can be considered the two main antagonists of the novel. What’s interesting that these characters portray two different types of evil. Percy is a mean, vindictive young man who not only hides behind, but also threatens with his family’s government ties. Although he attempts to have a tough front while on the Mile, he is a true coward at heart. At the first sign of confrontation, Percy Wetmore will freeze in terror or wet his pants…literally. Wild Bill, on the other hand, is just an evil young man. He has no remorse for any of the crimes he has committed, including the rape and murder charges John Coffey was condemned for. Even though Wild Bill’s stay on the Mile is cut short, he utilizes his time to cause as much hell as he possibly can.

Both the novel and the movie end with heartbreaking scenes. Although each end with John’s execution, the novel continues on for at least another 20 or 30 pages. Paul reveals the fate of his friends and loved ones that he has outlived. The novel ends with the death of Mr. Jingles who died peacefully after rolling his spool one last time. 64 years after rolling it across the floor colored like fading limes. Paul and his friend, who has read through his memoir, bury the old mouse. Paul knows that, like all of God’s creations, he will die. His last thought left for the readers is, since he has written about the miracle that was John Coffey, that he will follow Mr. Jingles shortly.