(Everything between points (1) and (2) are reimagined scenarios not present in the film, an odd number like (1) signifies the beginning of a conceptualized scenario, an even number like (2) represents the ending of those scenarios.)

 “The Green Mile” is a story of hardship, manipulation, and deprivation, set in a desolate cellblock. Directed by Frank Darabont, the film follows a societal outcast John Coffey, and his cellmates, all of whom are placed on death row. Throughout the film, Coffey is a character who displays innocence, despite his questionable charges which insist he raped and killed two young girls. Even so, as the film continues, John Coffey’s kindness makes it difficult not to feel remorseful. This same remorsefulness can easily be seen in his cellmates, who were all miserable prior to his admission, and were heart-warmed by his presence alone.

  One of the biggest surprise moments in the film is whenever John’s cellmate, Percy, suffers the loss of his pet rat. The rat’s death is a large turning point in the story since John’s innocence will no longer be his only defining characteristic. After pleading to help, the rat is brought to Coffey, and with relative ease he revives the rat using a magical force. This magical power of reanimation was unbeknownst to the audience beforehand. Although, it isn’t until after this mystical act of kindness that the watcher is reminded of Coffey’s inevitable fate, this fate is presented whenever one of the guards remarks he is due for the electrical chair within the next week. This remark not only increases tension but also enforces a strong verklempt towards the audience. The direness of his charges, although unjust, makes you side with John Coffey and his turmoil regarding the reputability of his criminalization. A large majority of the film past this point is mostly John Coffey giving brief recollections of his life, family, and friends to the guards, in attempts to immortalize his wisdom through their cognition.

  (1)It isn’t until his day of execution that another surprise moment is disclosed to the audience. Whenever one of the guards collapses, and is unable to bring himself to his feet, John begs and screams to be let out of his cell, as all he yearns for is to assist the incapacitated guard. However, his efforts are to no avail, considering there are no guards in the room to hear him, both John Coffey and his cellmates watch as the guard’s life fades through seizing intervals. It isn’t until minutes later that a guard enters the block and sees the guard, lifeless on the floor. John, in shock-ridden dismay, requests with a more quiet, solemn-like tone to be released and help the guard, which is both acknowledged and granted. After John is released, he sprints over to the corpse of this once active guard and begins to utilize his life-giving abilities. As John brings the guard to life, you can see his own livelihood begin to fade, his skin turns pale, he begins to sweat and eventually collapses over the guard. However, at that very moment, the guard springs to life and stands above John, yelling for medicinal support to be administered immediately. 

  This is one of my favorite parts of the film because even in John’s time of immense emotional disproportionality, he proceeds to not only save a life, but put his on the line. As John laid on the floor, similarly to the guard before him; he was defibrillated by a group of paramedics. Similar to the guard, after only a moment of getting his bearings, he immediately stood, ready to comply with the guard’s orders. I feel like this level of compliance and reliability really helps the director show John’s selflessness and societal adequacy, which were both disputed throughout the entirety of the film. After John’s reanimation, he is led back to his cell, where he is left to rest. 

  After some time, the guards return to the cell, only to see John had not slept a moment, but rather looked out through the window, admiring nature before his inevitable visit to the “hot-seat.” As the guards watched John peer through metal bars, admiring something as forgetful as rain hitting the grass, they all began to cry. While they cry, John looks back through tears, and says he is ready for execution, after which he is escorted through the block.(2) John says goodbye to all of his newfound friends, the rat, and even the guards. This type of emotional distress is utilized throughout the film multiple times, but not to this extent. The heart-wrenching connotation associated with this segment of the film is done in a way that makes the reader feel utter helplessness with the inability to help John Coffey. This is nothing short of a masterful implementation of hopelessness by both Frank Darabont and Stephen King.

As John and the guard walk through muddied land, they arrive at another large cement building, in which a chair is placed in the middle of a room, surrounded by wires. After John’s close examination, he reluctantly sits, only to be subjected to 2,200 volts of electricity. However, with final words, seconds before his execution, he says he is being “killed with love” and claims “that’s how it is every day, all over the world.” After his wise proclamation, his body flashes with heat, and convulses until his eventual death, a death of unjustness and anguish. I feel like both the director Frank Darabont and writer Stephen King not only express the ideals of wrongful incrimination but also demonstrate that the distasteful precedents applied to individuals aren’t always true.

(Friendly Reminder! Everything between both (1) and (2) is entirely fictitious and a hypothetical scenario that I have created. Neither the director Frank Darabont nor the writer Stephen King have produced that excerpt. However, the rest of the film analysis is accurate to what is in “The Green Mile” and can be treated as such!)