Green Mile by Stephen King
Stephen King is known for his Horror novels but does Horror mean Gothic?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition for:
"horror story : an account of an unsettling or unfortunate experience"
Google Definition for a Gothic novel
"Gothic Novel:an English genre of fiction popular in the 18th to early 19th centuries, characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror and having a pseudo medieval setting."
These two definitions are very similar though not exactly the same.
As you can see in the third part of the website I have compiled a list of the elements compared to the book and although it does not match all of the qualifications it does correspond with most. The book is full of gruesome and high tension scenes which add to its Gothic genre. This is seen in the part where Eduard Delacroix is killed by Percy Wetmore. Although the criminal is supposed to die Percy makes a "mistake" and burns him alive in the electric chair.
Mr. Jingles is a very unnatural mouse. He differs between people and fetches his colored spool. His original name "Steamboat Willy" after the original Mickey Mouse did not stay because Mr. Jingles whispered his name into Eduard Delacroixs ear. This could be passed off as something crazy but after the prison guards see this mouse they are not completely sure.
The supernatural plays a large part in the book. John Coffee is in the jail for a killing two girls. The people working in the prison ,especially the main character Paul Edgecombe, think that he is innocent. This is because he helps people. When Percy Wetmore Squished Mr. Jingles, Eduard Delacroixs' mouse, John Coffee was the one who brought him back from the dead with barley a scratch. He was also able to save the Wardens wife from a brain tumor by taking it from her, though that may seem weird. She too left unscathed.
When John Coffee is about to go to the electric chair he does something to Paul Edgecombe. Paul did not know what it was but as the book skips back to the present, the time he was writing the book, he had almost never been sick. He had survived a bus crash with no serious injuries and is at the age of 104. There he meets Mr. Jingles the mouse. He knows this because he will fetch the spool just like he had when Eduard Delacroix had rolled it down the cell and the same limp that had disappeared after John had healed him.
The setting of the story is inside a prison which fits Gothic characteristics perfectly. It is secluded and the only people inside are the workers and the prisoners.The weather does not have to play a part because they are inside. The book also has parts in the future where the narrator writes his book. This take place in a retirement home where the Gothic attributes seem to cease.
In conclusion the novel Green Mile by Stephen King is a Gothic Novel. The elements may not correspond in one hundred percent but it is difficult to find books that do. The book was enjoyable to read and had an ending which was not completely expected which is nice to have in a book. The Gothic elements were never forced and although the language could be harsh it had Gothic vocabulary that added to the overall tone.
How does it Compare to an older Gothic Novel?
Green Mile by Stephen King had many of the same elements as Dracula by Bram Stoker the book I had previously read. Dracula is a textbook example of a Gothic Novel and had more in common with the elements. Dracula also had a more Gothic tone as well as vocabulary. This is not saying that Green Mile is not a Gothic novel but it lacked the focus to the genre that you could find in Dracula. The modern horror novel does not have the same language or style that could be found in an older Gothic novel which creates the overall appearance of the genre.
Stephen King is known for his Horror novels but does Horror mean Gothic?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition for:
"horror story : an account of an unsettling or unfortunate experience"
Google Definition for a Gothic novel
"Gothic Novel:an English genre of fiction popular in the 18th to early 19th centuries, characterized by an atmosphere of mystery and horror and having a pseudo medieval setting."
These two definitions are very similar though not exactly the same.
As you can see in the third part of the website I have compiled a list of the elements compared to the book and although it does not match all of the qualifications it does correspond with most. The book is full of gruesome and high tension scenes which add to its Gothic genre. This is seen in the part where Eduard Delacroix is killed by Percy Wetmore. Although the criminal is supposed to die Percy makes a "mistake" and burns him alive in the electric chair.
Mr. Jingles is a very unnatural mouse. He differs between people and fetches his colored spool. His original name "Steamboat Willy" after the original Mickey Mouse did not stay because Mr. Jingles whispered his name into Eduard Delacroixs ear. This could be passed off as something crazy but after the prison guards see this mouse they are not completely sure.
The supernatural plays a large part in the book. John Coffee is in the jail for a killing two girls. The people working in the prison ,especially the main character Paul Edgecombe, think that he is innocent. This is because he helps people. When Percy Wetmore Squished Mr. Jingles, Eduard Delacroixs' mouse, John Coffee was the one who brought him back from the dead with barley a scratch. He was also able to save the Wardens wife from a brain tumor by taking it from her, though that may seem weird. She too left unscathed.
When John Coffee is about to go to the electric chair he does something to Paul Edgecombe. Paul did not know what it was but as the book skips back to the present, the time he was writing the book, he had almost never been sick. He had survived a bus crash with no serious injuries and is at the age of 104. There he meets Mr. Jingles the mouse. He knows this because he will fetch the spool just like he had when Eduard Delacroix had rolled it down the cell and the same limp that had disappeared after John had healed him.
The setting of the story is inside a prison which fits Gothic characteristics perfectly. It is secluded and the only people inside are the workers and the prisoners.The weather does not have to play a part because they are inside. The book also has parts in the future where the narrator writes his book. This take place in a retirement home where the Gothic attributes seem to cease.
In conclusion the novel Green Mile by Stephen King is a Gothic Novel. The elements may not correspond in one hundred percent but it is difficult to find books that do. The book was enjoyable to read and had an ending which was not completely expected which is nice to have in a book. The Gothic elements were never forced and although the language could be harsh it had Gothic vocabulary that added to the overall tone.
How does it Compare to an older Gothic Novel?
Green Mile by Stephen King had many of the same elements as Dracula by Bram Stoker the book I had previously read. Dracula is a textbook example of a Gothic Novel and had more in common with the elements. Dracula also had a more Gothic tone as well as vocabulary. This is not saying that Green Mile is not a Gothic novel but it lacked the focus to the genre that you could find in Dracula. The modern horror novel does not have the same language or style that could be found in an older Gothic novel which creates the overall appearance of the genre.