Vulnerable Men

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the striking similarities between John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" and Stephen King's short story and the film "The Green Mile". The author explores the characteristics of Lennie Small and John Coffey, how they are both inherently good people, and how those who are closest to them, eventually must take their lives mercifully.

From the Paper:

"In the book, "Of Mice and Men", Lennie Small, a developmentally disabled man unaware of his own strength, accidentally commits a murder and is killed by his best friend, George. In the movie The Green Mile, John Coffey, a simple man who possesses miraculous healing powers, is put to death for a crime he did not commit. The Green Mile and "Of Mice and Men" have much in common: both portray physically large characters that are nonetheless childlike and vulnerable, and both take the point of view that death, especially at the hands of a friend, is sometimes a merciful deliverance from the terrible pain inflicted by life. There is one important difference between these movies, however. Lennie Small is a life-taker; John Coffey is a life-giver."

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