The much acclaimed serial novel entitled The Green Mile was written by Stephen King and published in 1997. Originally, King published this story in six different volumes, each of which landed a spot on the New York Times bestseller list. The Green Mile takes place in 1932 in Cold Mountain Penitentiary, Cell-block E. Here, every prisoner awaits their turn to take their last walk down the Green Mile (presently known as death row) to “Old Sparky,” wherein their fate lies. Cold Mountain Penitentiary is where we meet John Coffey, a large negro sentenced to death for the murder and rape of two twin girls. Cell Block E is also where wild Billy Wharton and Eduard Delacroix, a french man with an emotional need for his mouse, Mr Jingles, stay. The Green Mile is the story of one of Cell block E’s prison guards, Paul Edgecombe, and his experience through life. Stephen King presents this novel with extraordinary writing technique that leaves the reader sitting on the edge, craving more up to the very end when the reader is left only with the remembrance of Paul Edgecombe, John Coffey, and the lessons taught by both. Throughout The Green Mile, Stephen king uses descriptive images to enforce his ideas. At the beginning of the story King describes the excruciating urinary tract infection that disables Paul Edgecombe. He says, “I lowered my pajama pants as the urine started to flow, and that flow was accompanied by the most excruciating pain of my entire life. I passed a gallstone in 1956, and I know people say that is the worst, but that gallstone was like a touch of acid indigestion compared to this outrage.” Later in the story, John Coffey uses his healing touch to cure Paul Edgecombe of this ailment. King uses Paul Edgecombe to more effectively show the power of Coffey’s healing powers. These powers are shown in other parts of the story, such as when Percy Wetmore steps on Mr Jingle. On this occasion, Coffey heals the mouse and brings him back to life. Along with the life of Mr. Jingles, Coffey revives the spirit of Delacroix, who at the moment was hysterical in his cell. Another important point in the story that includes this writing technique is the bad death of Eduard Delacroix. “It was at least two minutes before it was over, the longest two minutes of my whole life, and through most of it I think Delacroix was conscious. He screamed and jittered and rocked from side to side. Smoke poured from his nostrils and from a mouth that had gone the purple-black of ripe plums...All the buttons on his shirt either burst or melted. His undershirt did not quite catch fire, but it charred and smoke poured through it and we could smell his chest -hair roasting...and the thunder rolled and the rain ran down out of the sky in perfect fury.” This descriptive selection emphasizes the consequences of a decision (Paul’s decision not to say anything about the dry sponge that was the cause of Delacroix’s bad death, the decision to keep on rolling, the decision to put Percy at the head of the operation, and the decision of what to do with Percy afterwards). Descriptive language plays a very important part throughout the whole story of The Green Mile, from the painful descriptions of illness and death to the miraculous description of the mystical powers of an innocent man. Stephen King uses descriptive language to liven up the story, emphasize his points, and to make the Green Mile as real to his readers as it was to his characters who walked it.
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