What I Think About The Green Mile

Sorry, guys. Can't think of an awesome title. *sighs*

So my mom has been dragging me along with her these past few days to learn about her dealings. She said it's about time I grow up and help her take care of the family finances. I obliged because it's not like I have a choice or a job. Besides, I really, really want to get out of the house. If I stay here another minute, I'm gonna lose my freakin' mind.

Of course I didn't expect the trip to be fun. It's a business trip around Metro Manila after all so I brought around my new best friend by the name of Stephen King. And yeah, this is a review. Get used to the side stories.

I'm a big fan of Tom Hanks so I first learned about The Green Mile in IMDb. I haven't watched the movie yet because I sort of have a rule about movies that are based on novels. If I haven't read the book, I won't watch the movie (though I heartlessly broke that rule for Harry Potter). So when a paperback copy of The Green Mile finally decided to show up in the Booksale at Market Market, I desperately begged my mom to give me a hundred pesos to get it. I felt sorry for myself in the process but who cares? I'M FINALLY READING THE GREEN MILE!

Before I go on, here are some of the things you should know about the story. It was set at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, along the stretch of cells known as the Green Mile. This is where condemned murderers go to die on Old Sparky, the famous electric chair at the end of the Mile. Paul Edgecombe, head officer-in-charge of the Green Mile, has seen bad men come and go. He's basically the one in charge of frying them on the chair along with his team of prison guards. It was all the same until John Coffey, sentenced to death for raping and murdering two young girls, walked the Green Mile. Cold Mountain has never seen the likes of this large, black man and the things he's capable of. And I'm gonna stop right here because if I say more, I'm gonna spill the good beans.

Now on to what I think about The Green Mile.

I thought it was simple. If I didn't know better, I'd actually think it was based on a true story in which case it would be absolutely terrifying and awesome at the same time. Overall, it followed a normal sequence of events. No grandiose, nerve-racking, death-defying scenes. Just the normal day-to-day activities of people working and people rotting in prison. What took my breath away was the symbolism underneath the fiction. A black man condemned to die because he was seen carrying two naked, young, blood-drenched girls in his arms one fateful day. It's all over American literature, even movies. The black guy is always the bad guy and everybody involved in the trial always conveniently misses the things that would prove the man innocent. In The Green Mile, Stephen King didn't exactly turn things around the way a fairy godmother would in fairy tales. As I've said, things happened the way they should be. In the end, there were lessons. After all, that's how life became the worst teacher. It gives the test first before the lesson. Most of the time, we fail the freakin' test.

All I'm trying to say is that I really can't give a decent review of this book without spoiling it. I do suggest you give it a shot. So far, this is my favorite work of King's. Simple but meaningful. And I cried towards the end.

I guess that's it.

More to come.