The Green Mile

The Green Mile is a novel written by Stephen King about the last months of the life of a man named Paul Edgecombe, a former superintendent at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. The novel follows Paul and his fellow guards as they navigate the difficult realities of life and death while also living with the empathy and compassion for the prisoners they have come to know.

Chapter One introduces us to Paul Edgecombe, an old man living in a nursing home who begins to recount a powerfully nostalgic story from his past from when he worked at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. We also meet the other main characters in this chapter, including the Volter brothers, Eduard Delacroix, William Wharton, and the mysterious John Coffey.

Chapter Two takes us back to the 1930s and introduces us to Paul’s job as the prison superintendent at Cold Mountain. We get a glimpse into the harsh conditions of the prison and the inmates’ lives, presented through the eyes of Paul. He and the other guards feel a sense of duty to protect their prisoners from dangers outside and inside the prison walls.

In Chapter Three, we meet John Coffey, a death row inmate with a gentle and sensitive nature who becomes the center of the story. Paul and the other guards come to believe that there is more to Coffey than meets the eye, as the miracle of life and death begin to play out through him.

Chapter Four focuses on the execution of Eduard Delacroix, a Cajun shrimp-cutter who is accused and sentenced to death for the murder of two small girls. Paul and the other guards must find a way to make it through the difficult and nightmarish execution of a man they have come to think of as a friend.

Chapter Five focuses on the deeply spiritual connection between John Coffey and Paul, as the former begins to show the latter certain signs of divinity. In a powerful dream-like sequence, Coffey demonstrates his profound understanding of salvation and inflicts a deep wound on Paul that changes him forever.

Chapter Six focuses on the mysterious man known as William Wharton, a street hustler who causes mayhem in the prison. After an inmate dies in Wharton’s cell, the guards and Paul begin to suspect a connection between Wharton and Coffey, digging further into the mystery of Coffey’s divine presence.

Chapter Seven follows Paul's discovery of a deep and powerful secret: Coffey’s ability to heal. This discovery, coupled with the mounting evidence that Coffey may be innocent, stirs a fierce debate amongst the guards and sparks a complex moral dilemma.

Chapter Eight continues with Paul’s moral crisis, as he and the other guards must decide what to do with the knowledge they have about Coffey. After some discussion, it is decided that Coffey's innocence must be revealed and his execution must be stopped.

Chapter Nine brings this story to a powerful conclusion, with Paul and the other guards rushing to find a way to exonerate John Coffey. As they take their final journey with him, we learn what ultimately happens to Coffey and his ultimate destination.

The Green Mile is a powerful story about one man's courage and courage of conscience, and it is a story that will stay with readers long after turning the last page. It is a story of redemption and mercy, and one man's quest for justice. Through its characters, it presents a powerful message of empathy and understanding, and a reminder of the gravity of life and death.