The Green Mile

Paul recounts the execution of Bitterbuck. Bitterbuck’s daughter arrives to help her father prepare his braids before execution. His hands shake, in anticipation of his fate. Bitterbuck is compliant with the guards’ instructions as they lead him to the electrocution chair. Paul is appreciative of this compliance, given past incidents in which inmates were more resistant. Nearing the chair, Bitterbuck observes the audience of people who are there to watch his execution. Bitterbuck starts to break down. Paul tells him that since this is the last time anyone will ever see him, he should go out with dignity. Bitterbuck takes his advice and solemnly approaches the chair. At the chair, Bitterbuck is electrocuted for thirty seconds and then examined for heartbeat. The doctor who checks him declares that he can detect a slight heartbeat, something that Paul knows is as “meaningless as the final jitters of a decapitated chicken” (113). After the second round of electricity, Bitterbuck is declared dead and transported by the guards to a gurney. As they work together to move the body, Percy makes an inappropriate remark condemning the dead man. Brutal chastises him, stating that Bitterbuck has already paid his dues with his life.