بدايةُ أظن بأن اسم الرواية اللحظة الأخيرة لم يكن موفقا" فاسم الرواية الأصلي في النسخة الإنكليزية هو الميل الأخضر (The Green Mile)و القصة تدور حول هذا الميل الأخير في أحد السجون الذي يقطعونه قبل أن ينفذ فيهم حكم الإعدام و يفارقوا الحياة .. الكاتب استخدمه ايضا" نوعا" ما كرمز , و يظهر هذا جليا" في أجزاء من الرواية ..فمن هؤلاء من شعر بالأسف والندم على ما اقترف ومنهم لم يشعر , منهم من فارق الحياة بهدوء ومنهم من اتسمت نهايته بالمأساوية لحد مخيف اضطرني إلى تجاوز بعض المقاطع ...و المُخلص – وهنا أظن الكاتب يضع شيئا" من معتقداته – الذي امتلك كرامة تخليص البعض من آلامهم و الشعور بها , لم يعد قادرا" على احتمال الظلام و الآلام لأنه عاجز حقيقة عن المساعدة دائما" , لذلك استسلم للمرور فوق ذلك الميل بغية خلاصه هو . الإنسان في صراع مرير مع الشر و الألم في هذا العالم ..وسيواجه أفعاله . ربما هذه كانت من الأشياء التي أرادت أن تقولها الراوية .. فقد تساءلت في مرات عديدة خلال القراءة مالذي يرمي إليه الكاتب ؟؟ .. وصراحة لا أستطيع اختزال رأيي بإحدى كلمتي أعجبتني أو لم تعجبني , هي استطاعت أن تشدني لأنهيها رغم تذمري في مقاطع منها نتيجة البذاءة المزعجة , وتحفظي على بعض المقاطع و الأفكار .. ************************جعلتني هذه الراوية أتوقف عند مقطع اقتبسته على نحو متقطع من كتاب بيجوفيتش ( الإسلام بين الشرق و الغرب ) .. وسأضعه لكم كنوع من الاطلاع .من المؤكد أن واجب الإنسان هو أن يبذل جهده لتحسين كل شئ في هذا العالم بمقدوره أن يُحسنه . ومع ذلك فسيظل أطفال يموتون بطريقة مأساوية حتى في أكثر المجتمعات كمالا" . و الإنسان على أحسن الفروض قد يستطيع أن يقلل من كم المعاناة في هذا العالم . ومع ذلك سيبقى الظلم والألم مستمرين , ومهما كانا محدودين , فلن يتوقفا عن أن يكونا سببا" للتجديف و الانحراف ."1"الاعتراف بالقدر , استجابة مثيرة للقضية الإنسانية الكبيرة التي تنطوي في جوهرها على المعاناة التي لا مرد لها . إنه اعتراف بالحياة على ما هي عليه , وقرار واعي بالتحمل و الصمود و التجمل بالصبر . وفي هذه النقطة يختلف الإسلام اختلافا" حادا" عن المثالية المصطنعة وعن الفلسفة الأوروبية التفاؤلية وحكايتها الساذجة عن (( الأفضل من كل ما هو ممكن في العالمين )) ذلك لأن التسليم لله هو ضوء يانع يخترق التشاؤم ويتجاوزه .كنتيجة لاعتراف الانسان بعجزه وشعوره بالخطر وعدم الأمن يجد أن التسليم لله في حد ذاته قوة جديدة وطمأنينة جديدة . .... فلكي ندرك حقيقة وضعنا في هذا العالم يعني أن نستسلم لله , وان نتنفس السلام , وألا يحملنا الوهم على أن نبدد جهودنا في الإحاطة بكل شئ و التغلب عليه . علينا ان نتقبل المكان و الزمان اللذان أحاطا بميلادنا , فالزمان و المكان قدر الله و إرادته . إن التسليم لله هو الطريقة الإنسانية الوحيدة للخروج من ظروف الحياة المأساوية التي لا حل لها و لا معنى .. إنه طريق للخروج بدون تمرد و لا قنوط و لا عدمية و لا انتحار . إنه شعور بطولي ( لا شعور بطل ) بل شعور إنسان عادي قام بأداء واجبه وتقبل قدره .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1-tانظر (( ألبير كامو )) Albert Camus: L'homme revolite (Paris Gallimard)
As a reader, I have read several books that have made me think, made me feel poignant, sometimes sad even but after a long time, I read a book today that had tears streaking down my face. According to me, books that move the reader are the best kind of books and this one has it in spades. This is the kind of book that makes you ponder about various things, most importantly the corrections system that are in place in our world today. How do I go about reviewing a book that deals with a topic close to my heart? How do I review the story or the premise behind it? The story is about a penitentiary, Cold Mountain Penitentiary to be precise, which receives only those offenders who are condemned to death. The year in question is 1932, when the electric chair or what they called ‘Old Sparky’ was still in use. Death penalty has always been reserved for those who are accused and convicted of really brutal crimes and here you can see the regular arrivals of inmates who are in for rape and murder or arson and murder etc. Murder being the most important crime for which they are sent here. The guards and the boss of this penitentiary have witnessed several such murderers during their stint at this place. However, neither the guards nor the prisoners are prepared for the arrival of John Coffey, who is said to have been convicted of the rape and murder of twin girls. Is he really evil or is he someone different? Does that even make a difference, given the fact that he is an African American, living in a world and time when they are totally condemned for their presence alone? These are questions that you keep asking yourself as you read this book. The story is narrated by the block superintendent who was present during that period and is his account of the truth as it occurred during that year.Stephen King in this wonderful book shows us America as it was during the 1930s, especially the year 1932. The racist remarks, the unabashed hatred towards anyone Black, the sheer misery of Depression, the lack of proper health facilities, the different facets of human personality – which can be quite extreme and of course the goodness of man and his belief in god. The story simply flowed without any flaws. It took you back in time and you could simply feel the pain of those who lived those times along with the anguish of the block superintendent as he writes this, several years later to atone his sins.When reading this book, I am forced to think of an experience I had in real life, where I had the chance of meeting with a retired death penalty executioner. This happened during one of my prison visits in remote parts of Gujarat, India. This old gentleman was frail and always had his mouth moving in prayers. His children were not part of the system, despite the fact that executioners in India are mostly family members. When asked why, all he told us was that he had a lot to atone for, why put my children through the same fate? I have always believed and categorically so that people who do heinous crimes must be punished. However, these simple words and after reading this book, I wonder what right I have to think in such a manner. Do we have the right to condemn if we know not whether the condemned is innocent or guilty? I really don’t know, although I wish I did.Do read this book, if only for the wonderful story that it leads you through. I will strongly recommend it to those who want a book that makes you ponder rather than simple fluff.
What do You think about The Green Mile (1996)?
«Non ne posso più del dolore che sento e vedo, capo. Non ne posso più di vivere in strada, solo come un pettirosso sotto la pioggia. Mai un amico da andarci asieme, un amico che mi dice da dove veniamo e dove stiamo andando e perché. Non ne posso più della gente cattiva che si fa del male. Per me è come cocci di vetro piantati nella testa. Non ne posso più di tutte le volte che ho voluto rimediare e non ho potuto. Non ne posso più di stare al buio. Soprattutto è il dolore. Ce n'è troppo. Se potessi smettere di sentirlo, lo farei. Ma non posso.»Così John Coffey saluterà il mondo verso la fine del libro. E dentro quel passo lì sopra, non c'è solo Stephen King e il suo genio. C'è la vita, c'è la morte, c'è il dolore. Questo non è un libro, è qualcosa di più che bisogna conservare dentro per rifletterci sopra. Cerchiamo di capire quant'è barbara la pena di morte, una volta tanto. Oppure intendiamo ineggiare alla morte di quelle persone che secondo la televisione hanno ucciso nipoti o ragazzine e che in decine di anni di processo non risultano colpevoli? Credetemi, prima di parlare della pena di morte, sciacquatevi la bocca. Col sapone.
—Marco Tamborrino
I’m stuck somewhere between 3 or 4 stars for this one. I thought this Depression era tale of life on death row, somewhere in the Deep South, started slowly and it took me quite a long time to grow familiar with the characters on the Green Mile, as it was known. It’s a long book, so that’s not so much of an issue (unless I’d given up on it, of course), and once I was comfortable with the cast I was quickly sucked in to the atmosphere of it all. It’s a good story, a very good story. And it’s well told. But I have some misgivings.What I Liked:I’ve only read a few of King’s books (11/22/63, Joyland and Mr Mercedes) but enough to know that ensnaring the reader by drawing believable, empathetic characters is a cornerstone of his longevity as a successful writer. This was certainly in evidence here as I was introduced to, and grew to love, Paul Edgecombe (who narrated the story first person, for the most part) and his colleagues on the Green Mile. Throw in a mixed bag of interesting inmates awaiting their fate and the interactions reached the extremes of tear inducing pathos all the way to hilarious belly laughing humour - the latter particularly emanating from my favourite character, William "Wild Bill" Wharton. But, above all, the dialogue always felt right, it fitted the mood of the place and the time and clearly delineated each character.What I didn’t…I may be alone in this but I found the introduction of Mr Jingles, the performing mouse, to be a distraction – one that added nothing to the story. In fact I’d go further, to me the least attractive element of the book was the use of ‘magical realism’ and Mr J was the element that most jarred, was the least believable. If the mouse’s role had been imperative to the story I’d have lived with it but I truly believe it to have been a superfluous inclusion. I know it would have been hard to tell this tale without asking the reader to suspend disbelief for its duration, but I’d have preferred for this element to have been minimised. As I say, this is just a personal view. An interesting aside is the parallels of the story to Of Mice and Men. Both depict big, innocent men who are completely lacking in guile. In each, this character meets his end at the hand of a companion who shows love for them. If the reader was in any doubt about the author’s intended linkage then the inclusion of the mouse allows King to introduce a phrase to the text that is a close approximation of the title of the Steinbeck book.Overall, it’s an enjoyable read and one that would draw me back to more of the author’s work – as long as I can avoid the horror books - so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and award it 4 stars.
—Andrew Smith
I did see the movie before I read the book, which actually enhanced my reading. I think the actors were so successfully chosen for the various roles that I acutally pictured Tom Hanks as the narrator and Michael Clark Duncan as the death row inmate.King weaves some important themes and messages into this story. The most enlightening of which is being comfortable with growing old.Paul, the prison guard narrator (Hanks' character) emerges as the tragic hero of this novel. While he comes close to death and its hold on the criminals he guards; he has an enormous conscience which effects how he carries out his job. When he believes that one of his inmates might be innocent, he takes it upon himself to protect and save him from a tragic and brutal death. What he finds out as a result of his efforts is that living in a segregated and evil society as a black man is far worse than meeting your maker in the electric chair.A far more tragic part of the story is that Paul, resulting from his association with this one inmate, loses his ability to grow old at all. I think one of the worst fates a man can meet is outliving his loved ones. The tragedy is that Paul, a moral individual with a great deal of integrity, wastes away in a home, living out a life he wishes were over. The trade off is that a man who suffered far more in much less time passed on and left the ills of society that Paul still faces at the end of the work.
—Josh Feinzimer
