Central Characters: Paul Edgecombe, probably over 100, narrator, was the head of E block (death row) at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Paul faces an internal struggle between what his job wants him to do and what he sometimes knows is the "right" thing. Kind and gentle, he recounts this episode of his life from Georgia Pines, his retirement home. John Coffey is a huge, muscular black man but is very slow in the mental sense, brought into a situation where death surrounds him, yet he has the power to heal by his own touch.

Other Characters: Dean Stanton, Harry Terwilliger, Brutus Howell, and Percy Wetmore were all guards on E block. Percy was the most significant; he was a banty-rooster sort of guy. He liked to pick fights. He represented the fears of Paul Edgecombe. Though it

Evaluation: Paul so perfectly put into words his own life, and even more so his burden of living. Paul is really the tragic character of the story. Paul is probably over 100 years old, and has come to the point where he doesn't want to live any longer. Where John Coffey was able to die when he came to the conclusion that the world didn't want him, Paul is trapped in a body that seems to fend off almost every illness due to Coffey's healing Paul's urinary tract infection. He has seen everyone close to him die, worst of all surviving a bus crash that took his beloved wife, while barely injuring him. The last part of the journey through Paul's life explains the hardships he has faced, and how he now wishes for death much like Coffey did. He learns that he has no control over his own destiny no matter how much he wishes that it could be different. Ending the story he explains: "We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long."

Tone: Sympathy for Paul Edgecombe, sadness and remorse for John Coffey.

Irony: John Coffey, a healer, is executed for the murder of the two girls that he tried to save. Paul can't stand Percy Wetmore, yet when he grows old and is living in the retirement center he is pestered by Brad Dolan who reminds him of the heartless Percy in his days as E block superintendent. After years of being lonely, Paul finds a woman, Elain

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Coffey, Green Mile, Paul Edgecombe, Percy Wetmore, Eduard Delacroix, Georgia Pines, Evaluation Paul, Retirement Center, Mountain Penitentiary, Coffey Coffey, john coffey, cold mountain, paul edgecombe, retirement center, percy wetmore, green mile, cold mountain penitentiary, mountain penitentiary, georgia pines, elaine connelly, probably 100, georgia pines retirement,
Approximate Word count = 957
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)