Allie Stough - Paper

When speaking about John Coffey, Stephen King said he intentionally “decided to give him the initials J.C., after the most famous innocent man of all times”. A significant Christ-like moment was toward the end of the movie when John urges Edgecomb to put his “hand in the hand of the man.” Paul does indeed do that in carrying out the execution of John Coffey. John Coffey performs miracles. One would least expect a Christ-like figure from a famous horror writer like Stephen King. There are many allusions to Christ in John Coffey, including his very initials, J.C. There is a mysterious past to John Coffey with his court papers history revealing not a trace of him prior to his arrest. The portrayal of John Coffey as a healer is first revealed in curing Paul’s urinary infection. Even his calling to Paul as he lay on the floor writhing in pain is Christ-like as he says ‘you need to come to me’. Then there is the resurrection of the pet mouse and finally the healing of the prison warden’s wife’s brain cancer. The guards come to believe in Coffey’s innocence without knowing how to save him – like Christ who must follow the path before him. Christ becomes the most famous innocent man of all times like John Coffey. John Coffey’s initials are J.C., which also stand for Jesus Christ. He said he tried to take it back but it was too late. Wild Bill murdered the girls and John tried to bring them back to life. John Coffey – Initials J. C. – as in Jesus Christ. Is Coffey guilty? He is found holding the two dead girls crying “I tried to take it back, but it was too late.” The ‘it’ is all the pain in the world that Christ dies for on the cross. When John was watching the movie, a ray of light casted over his head like a halo and he said the dancers are like angels. Jesus had a halo over his head. Saints and angels also have halos. John calls to Paul, boss, when he is in pain on the floor just like Jesus calls his people. John sacrifices himself and endures the suffering of others. He is a black man who absorbs all the pain of the whites. His lawyer says, “It is as if he has dropped from the sky.” He is made to look 7 feet tall. Camera effects are used to make him look taller and god-like. He stands on a platform to make him taller. Coffey is always filmed at an upward angle to emphasize his size. He is even filmed on a platform to raise him above the guards. This gives him a super human quality.