Essay on Main Themes in The Green Mile - 1473 Words

One of the main themes in â€Å"The Green Mile† is death. It encapsulates the whole novel, leaving the reader to think deeply about their fate. It’s an obvious theme, considering the story takes place on death row. However, further analysis reveals a deeper meaning than men dying in the electric chair for their crimes. â€Å"And I think about all of us. Walking our own green mile; each in our own time.†(Pg 434) Paul said. The reader will discover that the Green Mile itself is a metaphor for death. Paul compared life at the Green Mile to life for a free citizen, because both lifestyles will end in the same way. Death is inevitable. For the prisoners, they have a set number of days until their execution, so their â€Å"Green Mile† is relatively short. A†¦show more content†¦But Paul was going to try. He was trying to release John at all costs, he knew it was an injustice. When he consults John about his potential release, he adamantly refuses. He t hought the world was far too of cruel a place to live any longer, and he knew the electric chair was his fate. King’s trying to challenge the reader’s beliefs. The reader might ask: Is justice always served in the legal system? These are questions one must ask oneself. Just because a person looks intimidating and is convicted of a crime, they aren’t always guilty. Stephen King is simply trying to say that the legal system can have its flaws. One must look past physical appearance and find sufficient evidence before proving another guilty. The last central theme in the novel, â€Å"The Green Mile† is racism. Keep in mind, this story was based in the ‘30s, therefore racism was a massive issue, more so than the present day. Paul’s thought of black men going to court back then was shown when he said â€Å"Appeals weren’t for the likes of John Coffey, not back then; they had their way in court and then the world forgot them until they saw a squib in the paper saying a certain fellow had taken a little electricity along about midnight.† Because racism was such an issue back then, John’s lawyer had given up on him, thought it was a hopeless case. Due to racism, John didn’t get a fair trial. King’s trying to show readers that racism can affect so much in life. If John had been your average whiteShow MoreRelatedThe Perks Of Being A Wallflower And John Green s Novel997 Words   |  4 PagesTwo dominant themes presented throughout both the book and the film is loss and lo ve. Chbosky directs The Perks of being a wallflower and presents the theme loss using the techniques foreshadowing and camera angles whereas Green likewise uses foreshadowing but also characterisation to raise loss in the novel. 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