The Green Mile: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

In the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, and the novels, 12 Years A Slave and The Green Mile, Andy Dufresne, Solomon Northup, and John Coffey respectively are wrongfully persecuted and placed in captivity. They endure years of imprisonment while maintaining hope to have or to return to a better life. Due to their innocence, they are driven by poor conditions to seek freedom no matter the time or difficulty. Knowing they will be imprisoned for long periods of time, these three characters integrate themselves into their new societies, developing meaningful relationships with their fellow inmates and improving the quality of life for everyone, including their own captors. They perform selfless deeds and prove themselves to be valuable members or capable leaders among their captees. Eventually, all three characters find an escape in one way or another while leaving a lasting impression on their captors and fellow inmates alike. These works are extremely similar in their stories and can be compared through the significant themes of innocence, friendship, and freedom. These are recurring and shape the experiences of John Coffey in The Green Mile, Solomon Northup in 12 Years A Slave, and Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption.

John Coffey displays innocence, friendship, and ultimately achieves freedom during the events of The Green Mile. John is a physically intimidating man, being “the biggest man … ever seen, except for some of the basketball fellows they have on the TV” (King 9) Due to John’s race and menacing build, John Coffey’s innocence is quickly and unfairly taken away from him, leading to his unfortunate circumstance. John Coffey demonstrates his positive influence towards the inmates and guards of the prison block as he performs various miracles out of kindness towards fellow prisoners and guards alike. Although John is a prisoner and he hardly knows anyone in the prison on a personal level, he helps others using his supernatural abilities. He does this because he wants the world to be a better place and “[i]t’s what God made him for.’ (King 261) John Coffey is literally and metaphorically afraid of the dark. This is surprising and is in direct contrast his physical character as he is a large hulking man fearing thing children do. He is often crying in his prison cell because of the dark. John is aware of the darkness that looms over the world he lives in there is death and suffering everywhere at every moment. His tear-stained eyes are “like blood from a wound that can never heal” (King 98) This is comparable to the world that John describes because like John’s eyes, the world is also a wound and can not be healed by John or even God. John’s desire to heal the world is apparent as he saves lives, cures illnesses, and ceases the suffering of others. He improves the quality of life in prison through his miracles and befriends the guards because of his good deeds. Unfortunately, John realizes that he can no longer help the world because “[t]hat’s how it is…All over the world. That darkness. All over the world.” (389) He accepts his death sentence even though he is offered escape by the guards. John Coffey’s death strikes sadness through the hearts of every guard and inmate in Cold Mountain Penitentiary. He is remembered especially by Paul Edgecomb, who writes about John during his elder years. John Coffey demonstrates his innocence and positive influence through his deeds in prison and escapes prison and the world through his death in the electric chair.

Solomon Northup shows many examples of his innocence, leadership, and freedom from slavery during his many years as a slave in 12 Years A Slave. Solomon is a free black man who lives a steady life working in New York. He has a wife and children and occasionally plays the violin. Solomon’s innocence through his virtues of family and status as a free man demonstrate how his freedom is easily taken away from him. Solomon’s captors exploit his hard-working attitude and rob him of his freedom. Solomon “had not only been robbed of liberty, but that [his] money and free papers were also gone” (19) Solomon endures twelve years of slavery, befriending other slaves and even one of his masters. Solomon is determined to return to his family and does what he has to in order to potentially escape captivity. Although Solomon’s life as a slave is difficult and he suffers through countless acts of violence and abuse from his masters, he attempts to make the lives of his fellow slaves better using his ingenuity. Similar to John Coffey, Solomon uses his abilities, although not supernatural, to help his friends. He is considered by everyone on the plantation as “the smartest n*gger in the Pine Woods” (Northup 63) An example of his creativity is when he devises a method of water transportation for moving lumber. This makes labour for the slaves easier as it no longer requires them to transport lumber by land which would take longer and is more taxing on their bodies. Solomon proves himself to be a very competent slave as he is intelligent and uses his resourcefulness. He is entrusted by his masters with greater responsibilities than other slaves. In his position of power, Solomon continues to help his fellow slaves as he has more privileges than most of the other labourers. He uses his position through pretending to whip misbehaving and idling slaves. Solomon “would commence plying the lash vigorously, when, according to arrangement, they would squirm and screech in agony, although not one of them had in fact been even grazed” (Northup 149) Solomon does this act of deception risking his own life to help make the lives of his friends less painful and harsh. Solomon plans his escape frequently but is always deterred because of the stories he hears. “[T]here was not a day throughout the tens years [Solomon] belonged to Epps that [he] did not consult with [him]self upon the prospect of escape. [Solomon] laid many plans, which at the time [he] considered excellent ones, but one after the other they were all abandoned.” (Northup 159) Solomon shows that although he desires to escape, he also considers the risk involved and ultimately wants to return to his family. Solomon is intelligent in his planning, never committing to his actions unless he is certain that he would not be in danger. Instead, Solomon Northup decides to be patient, waiting for the perfect time to escape even if it takes years for the right opportunity to occur. Fortunately for him, his patience is rewarded as Solomon is eventually rescued. Due to Solomon’s excruciatingly long period in slavery, he is in awe when his rescuers arrive, there is “[n]ot a word was spoken for several minutes, during which time [he] clung fast to Northup, looking up into his face, fearful [he] should awake and find it all a dream” (Northup 203) Unlike John Coffey, Solomon accepts his rescuers because he has a family to return to. He escapes and avoids a gruelling lifetime in slavery. Solomon regains his innocence as he is able to return to his wife and children, continuing his life as a hard-working free man. Solomon Northup endures a long and tough journey through several plantations as a slave. He distinguishes himself as a leader among the other slaves. Improving their lives, and is rescued after twelve years of slavery.

Andy Dufresne is the main protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption. He is innocent of his crimes and shows great skill and leadership, using it to improve life in prison, and escapes in a grand finale, desecrating the reputation of the Warden and his prison. Andy Dufresne is an innocent man who has a successful career prior to his incarceration. Although he has issues with his wife, Andy’s innocence does not deserve to be taken from him simply because he is angry for the adulterous actions committed by his significant other. Andy Dufresne is seen “as a particularly icy and remorseless man” (The Shawshank Redemption) His cold personality and the degree of his supposed crime are primary factors as to why he is sentenced to prison. Andy is also a skillful bankert and uses his talent in prison to not only help his fellow inmates but also to help the guards and eventually the Warden. An example of Andy Dufresne’s deeds stemming from his financial skills is when he helps the prison guard chief secure an inheritance while avoiding taxes. He continues to utilize his trade by helping the other prison guards file their taxes. Through his trade as a banker, Andy becomes a prominent prisoner. He earns the favour of the Warden who protects him from other prisoners, including Boggs, who frequently attempts to rape Andy. Boggs is beaten so badly that “he lived out the rest of his days drinking his food through a straw” (The Shawshank Redemption) Andy’s skills are so valuable in the prison that he becomes the accountant for the Warden, Samuel Norton. Samuel uses Andy to help launder and hide his money gained through the prison system. To improve the quality of life for his inmates, Andy attempts to secure funding from the State Senate to build a new library in the prison. His determination shows as he writes so often that he eventually receives funds and books to start building the library. Andy’s influence in the prison is so positive and significant towards the community in the prison that Red famously states that “[s]ome fellas collect stamps, others build matchstick houses. Andy built a library” (The Shawshank Redemption) Ultimately, Andy deceives everyone in the prison. Unlike Solomon, Andy risks his life attempting to escape instead of waiting for rescue since he knows that there will not be a rescue. Using his patience and determination to seek freedom from prison, Andy leaves the Warden dumbfounded as he escapes after twenty years of imprisonment. He leaves a lasting impression as he exposes Warden Norton’s money laundering operations to the press which leads to his arrest and suicide. Andy Dufresne, being the creative banker he is, escapes the country with over hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Warden under a false identity. Andy discovers his freedom as “[a] man nobody ever laid eyes on before…[u]ntil that moment, he didn’t exist except on paper.” (The Shawshank Redemption) Andy Dufresne is a perfect example of how he maintains his innocence in prison while becoming a significant in his society, improving the quality of life using his skills as a banker and a learner, and escaping while succeeding with a daring heist of unimaginable proportion.

In The Green Mile, 12 Years A Slave, and The Shawshank Redemption, the persecution of the innocence, the assistance of others, and salvation are extremely important themes that frequently appear in these three works. They are shown through the characters of John Coffey, Solomon Northup, and Andy Dufresne through their experiences in captivity. These men also display perseverance and patience as they spend years as captees waiting for the right time to find their freedom. They find their resolutions in different ways as John Coffey finds it through a solemn death, Solomon Northup finds it through rescue, and Andy Dufresne finds it through a Hollywood style prison escape. All three of these characters are strong in mind and in physicality.

Works Cited

1. Darabont, Frank, director. The Shawshank Redemption. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1994.
2. King, Stephen. The Green Mile. Gallery Books, 2018.
3. Northup, Solomon. 12 Years A Slave. Penguin Group, 2013.