Dead Man Walking

A detailed Summary of Dead Man Walking

In the movie "Dead Man Walking", the prominent characters all adhere to the morals of Christianity. Although they all subscribe to the same set of beliefs and teachings, they each have their own way of interpreting them, regarding the death penalty. By looking at each character's view pertaining to capitol punishment for Matthew Poncelet, whether it be Sister Helen, Matthew, Mr. Delacroix or the Percys, each have a divergent opinion on the death penalty and mold Christianity to fit their own beliefs.

Sister Helen became a nun to give back to the community which gave her good Christian morals and values. By becoming a nun she was able to teach others to respect life and become more like Jesus (A Son of God). As the heroine of the movie Sister Helen played the role of the "good Samaritan". Throughout the movie she believes that murder is wrong, and that belief remains unchanged. Regarding the death penalty, she holds the Christian moral that people should love each other and themselves, and let God be the judge of wrong doings. When confronted with Matthew, Sister Helen tries to see the good in him and show him the respect she believes he deserves. She believes that there is good in all man and that every person deserves

After the murder of their children, the parents' Christian views toward Matthew became, an eye for an eye. They molded their Christian morals to encompass revenge. Initially all parents hoped to see the day that Matthew would "get what he deserved." At the end Matthew hopes that Mr. Delacroix (the victims father) can forgive him and accept that he knows what he was wrong and should be punished for it, but not punished to death. Mr. Delacroix does forgive him at the very end of the movie. As for the Percys, the parents of Hope, Matthew hopes that his death makes them happy even after the death of their daughter. Matthew also accepts responsibility for what he did, and Sister Helen explains to him that by doing that he is now a son of God and can die with dignity. It is here where the divergent characteristics of both families are present. The Percys are psychologically unstable. They have symbolically lost their daughter Hope and any feelings of hope for themselves. Hope's parents harbor hatred for the criminal that Matthew was, but can not see past Matthew as a human being, much like their daughter. The fact that they can't let go of the hate deeply embedded in their psyche, is the same reason that there is no "hope" for them at the end of the movie. Contrary to them, are the parents of Walter Delacroix. Mr. Delacroix goes through a significant character shift toward the end of the movie. The littlest feeling of sympathy for Matthew, allows him so let go of the bonds of hatred to which he was initially accustomed to. During the last scenes the thematic message is expressed through Mr. Delacroix at the Poncelat funeral. As he does not know "why he showed up," he also isn't ready to talk to Sister Helen. At this point Mr. Delacroix represents society which is unable to completely abandon hate, yet knows the world would be a better place if it did. This is the first big step that Walter's father takes in forgiving Matthew. During the final shot, society (Mr. Delacroix) reconciles with love (Sister Helen), and they pray together in the chapel. This portrays how society would be eternally blissful (in entering God's kingdom by forgiving and praying) if it only would abandon hate and reconcile with love.

The use of Religion and Christian morals were effective in displaying the "bigger picture," for Matthew's situation. Initially Matthew had no morals or religious beliefs, but death row was a reality check for him. He was

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Approximate Word count = 1649
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Movies