The Green Mile (Symbol)
The principal hallway in E Block is referred to as the Green Mile. It is both the center of life on E Block and the final walk that inmates make on their way to the electric chair. What in other prisons is referred to as the Last Mile, has been dubbed “The Green Mile” at Cold Mountain because of the old green linoleum floor. The Green Mile symbolizes the inmates’ fate: execution and death. During their time on E Block, inmates must face this fate, staring day in and day out at the corridor that will lead them to their death. The Green Mile is also the title of the novel, signaling the importance that this setting and its significance has on the characters and plot of the novel.
Percy’s Custom Holster (Symbol)
All the guards on E Block carry a baton but Percy is the only one that has a custom holster for his. Paul mentions this multiple times, finding it ridiculous. The fact that Percy has this custom holster is symbolic of all the ways he is unfit to work on E Block. Percy is sadistic and loves exerting control and power over others. His baton is a symbol of his power and Percy wants to highlight its importance by having a custom holster. While Percy is proud of this, it only serves to demonstrate his inflated sense of importance and a lack of understanding of the true responsibilities the guards on E Block have.
Coffey’s Eyes (Motif)
From the beginning, Paul is struck by Coffey’s unusual eyes. He describes them as having a far-away look and as if they were holding onto a deep sorrow. Coffey’s eyes are the first hint that there is more to him than it appears. They communicate what he so rarely does in words: the suffering and pain of the world that he carries around with him. King returns to the motif of Coffey’s eyes throughout the novel. In moments of healing or violence, King describes Coffey’s eyes as they bear witness to the cruelty of the world or, alternatively, project loving and healing. His endless weeping is an expression of this deep sensitivity and what a burden it is for him to carry. Coffey is not entirely of this world, his eyes and their distant gaze express that.
Cloud of Black Insects (Symbol)
When Coffey heals someone, he absorbs their sickness into himself. He takes on the other person’s pain in an act of magic and extreme empathy. Then, Coffey exhales their sickness in the form of a black cloud of insects that disappears into the air. These insects are a physical manifestation of the sickness and hurt the other person is experiencing. However, as the guards witness, this healing can go both ways. After healing Melinda, Coffey chooses to hold the sickness in his body. He then passes the illness on to Percy, but almost kills himself in the process. This act shows a more ominous side of Coffey’s healing, when he uses illness as a weapon to enact retribution for Wharton’s crimes.
Melinda’s Dream (Symbol)
After Coffey heals her, Melinda shares a dream she had about him. In the dream, Melinda and Coffey are wandering around in the dark until they find each other. Melinda’s dream is symbolic of death, sickness, and the healing process. Melinda was lost in her sickness, fear, and uncertainty. Although Warden Moores tried to care for her, he could not really reach her. In a sense, Melinda was wandering around, alone and in the dark. However, Coffey’s compassion and supernatural abilities allow him to reach deep into people and bring them back to themselves. In this sense, he joined Melinda in the dark and they found one another. Coffey does not simply cure people as a doctor would. In order to heal them, he accompanies people in their sickness, feeling what they feel.
