A Summary of the Novel "The Green Mile"

Any summary of the novel "The Green Mile" by Stephen King has to include a bit about the
famous horror novelist, himself. He published this novel in 1996 as a serial novel, and the first
edition actually came out in six small, paperbacks, which were later made into one novel. King is
most well known for his horror novels, so as this summary of the novel "The Green Mile" shows,
this book, set in the 1930s, is a departure from some of his other works.

Plot

The summary of the novel "The Green Mile" includes the plot and setting. The story takes place
in 1932 on the E Block (Death Row) in Cold Mountain Penitentiary in Georgia. It is narrated by
the main character, Paul, who is the captain of the prison guards who preside over E Block. "The
Green Mile" of the title is the corridor between the cells of the cell block that leads to the
execution room. The corridor is covered in green linoleum, hence, the "last" or green mile the
inmates take to their death.

The story follows John Coffey, a large, black inmate convicted of raping and murdering two
young white girls, and the other two inmates on death row, along with the guards who watch
over them. Coffey is special, as Paul discovers, and he has magical healing abilities that become
apparent. He befriends a small white mouse, who he names Mr. Jingles, and heals the mouse
when the brutal guard Percy Wetmore tried to kill it. He also heals Paul's kidney infection, and
later, Paul spirits him out of the prison to heal the warden's wife's brain tumor. Coffey "transfers"
this brain disease to Wetmore, the sadistic guard who the inmates and staff dislike. Wetmore
never recovers and spends the rest of his life in a mental institution.

Eventually, Paul discovers that Coffey is exceptional in many areas. It turns out he did not
murder the two girls, another inmate (William Wharton) did. Coffey does not want to be
pardoned, and dies in the electric chair because he cannot bear the cruelties of real life. After his
death, Paul discovers that each of the people Coffey has healed live extraordinarily long lives.
Paul is 108 at the end of the book, and Mr. Jingles is 64. They have no idea how long they will
live, and the novel ends.

Characters

A summary of the novel "The Green Mile" includes the characters in the novel.

Paul Edgecombe - Paul is the main character of the novel. A prison guard, by the end of the story
he is an old man narrating this part of his life to a friend who is writing his memoir.

John Coffey - A nearly 7-foot-tall black man, a convicted murderer awaiting his death sentence
on death row in the prison. He befriends a white mouse and heals people of their diseases.
Percy Wetmore - A sadistic prison guard who everyone dislikes. He torments the prisoners, tries
to kill Mr. Jingles, the mouse, and deliberately botches an execution where the inmate suffers
terribly. He keeps his job because he is related to the governor.

Eduard Delacroix - A Cajun man convicted of arson, he is essentially a coward. He is the man
who dies a horrible death at the hands of Wetmore.

William Wharton - Another convict, it turns out he is the one who actually committed the murder
attributed to John Coffey. He is wild and frightening, and attempts to disrupt the prison as much
as he can before he dies.

Mr. Jingles - The white mouse that lives to be 64 and is befriended by John Coffey.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.