Magical Realism, and John Coffey as Jesus in The Green Mile Summer Jade Dolan College

Stephen King’s The Green Mile is an overtly Magical Realist text by means of one of the novel’s focal protagonists – John Coffey. Coffey is summarily described by Nada Hussein as ‘the huge Black prisoner [who] has magical healing abilities […] imbued with a divine gift and power to give life’.(1) Matthew Hughey’s work further elaborates, describing Coffey as having ‘forms of unexplainable knowledge, such as predict[ion]’, adding ‘Coffey also connects with the souls of those with whom he touches’.(2) In this essay, I seek to demonstrate that the impact of King’s utilization of Magical Realist elements within the characterization of John Coffey is threefold.

Firstly, I will highlight that the methods and subjects of Coffey’s magical powers indicate a non-conformity to/rejection of literary depictions of black men which traditionally present aggression and lasciviousness as predominant characters. Additionally, I will explore how the continual comparisons drawn between John Coffey and Jesus Christ, enabled by his seeming ability to instigate miracles, challenge ideas surrounding black and white identities more generally, with consideration given alongside this to the relevance of the historical context of debates surrounding the ‘...