Paul Edgecombe
Paul Edgecombe is the narrator and protagonist of The Green Mile. While living in a nursing home, Paul recounts the story of his time as superintendent of E Block. Paul takes his job seriously and runs E Block carefully and with compassion. A religious man, Paul views it as the guards’ job to keep the inmates calm as they await judgment, both legal and divine. He treats all the inmates with dignity, no matter their crime. Paul is deeply troubled by the disaster of Delacroix’s execution and hopes to atone for his role in the events. Witnessing the healing that Coffey is capable of, he devises a plan so that Coffey can heal Melinda. Paul risks his job and freedom for the chance to save Melinda’s life. He also takes it upon himself to informally investigate Coffey’s case and discovers that Wharton, not Coffey, murdered the Detterick girls. Despite this knowledge, Paul knows the criminal justice system will not look twice at condemning an innocent Black man, especially one as seemingly threatening as Coffey. Paul is forever changed by his contact with Coffey. Immune to sickness and injury, Paul lives an abnormally long life. At the end of his life, Paul decides to write down the events of 1932. He is unable to get over the injustice of Coffey—a man who embodied pure goodness—being wrongly accused and executed.
John Coffey
John Coffey is a towering Black man; the largest man Paul has ever seen. He enters Cold Mountain Prison a notorious criminal, convicted of raping and murdering two white girls. Coffey is illiterate and viewed by others as unintelligent. Although people consider him to be dangerous, Coffey’s personality is gentle and childlike. Coffey’s past is a mystery, as are the scars all over his back. After Coffey cures Paul’s urinary infection, Paul realizes Coffey has supernatural abilities. When Coffey sees others in pain, he feels a great sense of urgency to heal them and takes on a hypnotizing authority. Coffey saves both Mr. Jingles’ and Melinda’s lives. The guards on E Block believe Coffey’s powers are a gift from God.
After investigating the Detterick twins’ murders, Paul discovers that Coffey was innocent of their rape and murder; in fact, all he did was try to heal them. Yet the racism in society blinds people from seeing Coffey’s true nature. As a Black man, Coffey is not given a fair defense within the criminal justice system and no one is willing to reopen his case. Coffey’s gifts are a burden to him. He feels the cruelty of the world acutely, and suffers knowing he cannot save everyone. Sentenced to die for Wharton’s crime, Coffey admits to Paul that he's weary and ready to die. Coffey is however scared of the actual process of dying, especially in the electric chair. Coffey, a gentle and innocent soul, dies terrified in the electric chair. Witnessing this prompts all of the guards to transfer out of E Block after his death.
Percy Wetmore
Percy is a young guard who gets a job at E Block because his uncle is the governor. Percy is sadistic, petty, and incompetent. He is also a coward; he picks fights with those weaker than him and abuses his power. He resents being reprimanded and is constantly threatening to call his uncle and get the other guards fired. Percy ignores the older guards’ advice, and his carelessness causes many problems on E Block. After Delacroix laughs at him, Percy enacts his revenge by intentionally tampering with the execution and causing Delacroix to die an excruciating death. Percy’s character illustrates the danger of having small-minded and vindictive people in positions of power. Percy is universally hated and the guards finally threaten him to leave Cold Mountain. Percy’s arrogance and refusal to listen ultimately lead to his downfall. Coffey passes Melinda’s sickness into Percy, who goes insane upon experiencing the depth of someone else's pain and illness. Percy shoots Wharton and spends the rest of his life institutionalized and in a comatose state.
Eduard Delacroix
Delacroix is a small, balding Frenchman who is convicted of raping and murdering a young girl. While trying to dispose of her body he accidentally lights a building on fire, killing six more people. In prison, Delacroix is a mild-mannered and somewhat pathetic man who seems to have none of the violence from his crime left in him. Delacroix is transformed by the arrival of Mr. Jingles. He adopts the mouse and claims to have tamed it; although the guards widely agree Mr. Jingles is more intelligent than Delacroix. Delacroix finds affection and companionship in Mr. Jingles. He’s extremely proud of Mr. Jingles’ abilities, imagining that one day he’ll be a famous circus mouse. Although he never exhibits concern for his victims, Delacroix becomes increasingly worried about Mr. Jingles’ fate after he dies. From the moment Delacroix enters Cold Mountain, Percy singles him out and bullies him. Delacroix is terrified of Percy. After Delacroix laughs at an instance where Percy is humiliated, Percy decides to take revenge. First, much to Delacroix’s horror, Percy tries to kill Mr. Jingles. Then, Percy tampers with Delacroix’s execution, causing Delacroix to burn alive in a painful and horrific death.
William Wharton / “Wild Billy” / “Billy the Kid”
Wharton is a skinny 19-year-old kid with stringy blond hair. He models himself after Billy the Kid, a famous Western outlaw. Wharton is completely out of control and proud of it. Despite his young age, Wharton has a long history of crime including robbery, murder, and pedophilia. Wharton demonstrates the worst of human nature. He takes pleasure in causing harm and chaos and shows no remorse for his crimes. The guards on E Block must constantly watch out for Wharton, who is always causing trouble. They nickname him “Wild Bill” which irritates Wharton, who feels they’re not giving him the respect he deserves. Coffey realizes Wharton is the true killer of the Detterick twins. Wharton, it seems, has no qualms about letting an innocent man die for his crimes. Under the influence of Coffey’s supernatural abilities, Percy kills Wharton in his sleep in an act of moral retribution for Wharton’s sins.
Mr. Jingles
Mr. Jingles is a mouse that shows up on E Block. Originally called Steamboat Willy by the guards, Delacroix changes his name to Mr. Jingles after he adopts him. Mr. Jingles seems to show up on E Block looking for Delacroix. The mouse is hyper-intelligent and has human-like mannerisms that amuse the guards. Mr. Jingles provides companionship to Delacroix and has a fondness for peppermint candies and playing fetch with wooden spools. Percy hates Mr. Jingles and tries to kill him on many occasions. After Percy stomps on Mr. Jingles, Coffey saves the mouse’s life. Following Delaroix’s execution, Mr. Jingles disappears. At the end of Paul’s life, Mr. Jingles shows up at Georgia Pines nursing home. Like Paul, the mouse has lived an abnormally long life. Paul takes care of the mouse until it dies.
“Brutal” Brutus Howell
Brutal is Paul’s right-hand man on E Block. Although the other guards call him Brutal, the nickname is a joke and far from his true nature. Brutal is a big man, broad-shouldered and a former football player. He’s strong, has a solid nature, and is good at thinking on his feet. It is Brutal who saves Dean’s life when Wharton attacks him. Brutal hates Percy and thinks that Paul is too soft on him. After seeing Coffey’s ability to heal, Brutal feels incredibly guilty at the idea of killing one of God’s gifts. Both Brutal and Paul make a pact to transfer out of Cold Mountain after Coffey’s execution. Neither feels that they can take part in another execution after what they have witnessed.
Warden Hal Moores
Warden Hal Moores is in charge of Cold Mountain Penitentiary. Of the three wardens Paul works with during his time at Cold Mountain, he considers Moores the best. Moores is straightforward, firm, and has integrity. Moores is a pragmatic man; he suggests that if Paul wants to get rid of Percy then he should let him take part in Delacroix’s execution. Moores loves his wife deeply and becomes increasingly upset as her health worsens. The guards show up at the Moores' house with Coffey to try and heal Melinda. Initially, Warden Moores is angry, but he is so shaken because of her condition that Moores lets them in. Warden Moores is transformed after Melinda’s miraculous healing, coming back to the prison strong and self-assured. Paul never tells Warden Moores that Coffey is innocent. Even so, Moores cannot bring himself to sign Coffey’s execution order after Coffey saves his wife’s life.
Melinda Moores
Melinda is Warden Hal Moores’ wife. She’s also close friends with Janice and Paul. When Melinda is diagnosed with a brain tumor the doctors say there is no cure. The brain tumor changes her personality and she becomes vulgar and aggressive. Paul and the other guards think Coffey might be able to save her, and so they sneak him out of the prison. Coffey cures Melinda, who was on her deathbed. She has no memory of the previous weeks, but feels an intuitive connection with Coffey and thanks him sincerely.
Harry Terwilliger
Harry Terwilliger is one of the regular guards on E Block. He’s a skinny man and a bachelor. Like the other guards, Harry is entertained by Mr. Jingles. He finds crayons so that Delacroix can color the spools, and says Mr. Jingles is like a circus mouse. Harry takes part in the plan to help Coffey cure Melinda Moores. He feels guilty about his role in Coffey’s execution and cries during the proceedings.
Dean Stanton
Dean Stanton is a serious and bookish guard on E Block with glasses. When Wharton is brought to the prison, he tries to strangle Dean and nearly succeeds in killing him. Dean has a family with two young children. To protect them, Dean stays behind when the guards sneak Coffey out. This way, he can feign innocence if they get into trouble. Dean transfers to another part of Cold Mountain after Coffey’s death, a few months later he is murdered by an inmate.
Janice Edgecomb
Janice is Paul’s wife. Janice is the love of his life and the two of them are best friends. She supports Paul and provides a listening ear. Janice is also close friends with Melinda Moores; she urges Paul to do anything he can to save her. The discovery that Coffey is innocent, and will be killed for a crime he did not commit, enrages her. She warns the other guards that if they go through with the execution then they’ll be murderers. Later, Janice walks back her statement, knowing Paul is in a difficult situation. Later in life Janice dies in a Greyhound bus accident.
Toot Toot
Toot-Toot is an old man who runs the snack cart at Cold Mountain Penitentiary. He fills in for the convicts when the guards rehearse for an execution. Toot-Toot enjoys this roleplaying and Paul notes with discomfort that Toot-Toot never looks more alive than when he’s playing a condemned man.
Brad Dolan
Dolan works at Georgia Pines nursing home. He’s mean-natured and a bully. For inexplicable reasons, Dolan singles Paul out and terrorizes him. Dolan is determined to find out Paul’s secret, eventually following Paul to the shed. Dolan reminds Paul of Percy in the disrespectful manner in which he treats the elderly at Georgia Pines and how he enjoys bullying those weaker than him.
Elaine Connelly
Elaine is a close friend of Paul’s at Georgia Pine nursing home. She encourages him to write his story, and reads it when he finishes. Elaine notices that Dolan, one of the employees at Georgia Pines, bullies Paul. She stands up for Paul, and tells Dolan she’ll get him fired if he does not stop.
Arlen Bitterbuck / “The Chief”
Bitterbuck is an inmate in Cold Mountain who is sentenced to death for murdering someone in a drunken fight over a pair of shoes. Bitterbuck is a member of the Cherokee Nation, and the first elder of his tribe on the Washita Reservation. The guards nickname him “The Chief.” Although scared, Bitterbuck faces his execution stoically. One of Bitterbuck’s braids catches on fire during the execution and the guards rush to put it out.
Burt Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a local reporter who covers Coffey’s case and trail. He’s racist and believes that all Black people are inherently violent. Paul talks with Hammersmith to find out more about Coffey and his case. Hammersmith’s son was savagely bitten by their family dog; his grief fuels his conviction that Coffey should be executed.
