The Green Mile

The guards lead Coffey from the office to the storage room, passing by Old Sparky. When Coffey sees Old Sparky, he stops and is unable to look away. He says aloud, “They’re still in there. Pieces of them, still in there. I hear them screaming” (384). The words haunt Paul as they move along. The guards put Coffey on the gurney so that they can move more quickly. Coffey delights at being taken for a ride. When they reach the heavy bulkhead-style door leading to the outside, the guards are unable to push it open. However, Coffey easily pushes it open for the others. Paul makes sure that he has the Aladdin key, which is a master key that opens all doors in the penitentiary. They manage to get Coffey into Harry’s pickup truck. Coffey appears to be happy to see the night sky.

When Paul, Harry, and Brutal arrive with Coffey at Warden Moores’ house, Paul begins to panic about whether or not he has done the right thing. He wonders if his guilt over Delacroix’s death has influenced his belief in Coffey’s healing powers. Before he can turn everyone back, Moores spots the car in his driveway and is standing on his porch with a rifle pointed at them. Paul tells them he will do all the talking, but when he approaches Moores, he finds that he is at a loss for words. Moores threatens to shoot but Brutal speaks up on their behalf. Moores sees Coffey and is concerned that he has taken the guards hostage. Harry stands between Moores’ gun and Coffey, insisting they are unarmed and there to help. Melinda comes to the porch and swears in her speech, distracting Moores. Coffey intervenes quickly by grabbing the gun from a distracted Moores and says that he wants to help, much to the warden’s continued shock and disbelief. Moores dejectedly says that there is nothing Coffey can do to help. Coffey pushes ahead, into the house, to find Melinda.

Coffey arrives at Melinda’s bed, where she is lying down. As he grows closer to her, she begins to speak with more clarity. Coffey looks into her face and seems to locate the source of her illness. Holding her head still with his hands, he sucks the air from her mouth in a deep kiss. The force of it is so strong that several pieces of furniture shake, break, and smolder. When Coffey finally sucks out her illness, he falls to the floor, choking. Paul expects black insects to come out of his mouth as they always do after he heals someone, but this time Coffey only coughs heavily and his skin grows pale. Moores rushes to Melinda’s side and is surprised to find her hair has returned to its natural color. She appears healthy. She seems stunned when she looks around, saying that the last thing she remembers is going to the doctor to get her X-rays. She does not seem to remember the worsening progressions of her illness at all.

When she spots Coffey, she informs everyone that she has seen him before, in a dream. Paul explains that Coffey is responsible for healing her. Moores and Melinda thank Coffey. The guards notice sunrise is approaching and get ready to leave. Before they depart, Melinda hands Coffey her St. Christopher medallion, for protection and as a token of her gratitude. 

Paul, Brutal, Harry, and Coffey drive back to Cold Mountain. Along the way, the guards stop to relieve themselves on the side of the road. They ask Coffey if he wants to relieve himself too, but he looks too sick to move. When Paul returns to the car, he realizes that they left Coffey unattended in the vehicle and that he could have easily escaped. However, Coffey is wrapped in a blanket in the backseat and receives everyone warmly. As they drive, Paul falls asleep and has a nightmare of Percy, Coffey, and Delacroix hanging from crosses. Paul has a bloody hammer in his hand and there is no stepladder to get them down. He wakes up when the car hits a bump in the road. Eventually, they arrive back at Cold Mountain, narrowly escaping being sighted by a passing bread truck. Brutal is about to celebrate but Paul silences him and tells him not to say anything until they are certain they are in the clear.