Dead Man Walking

Dead Man Walking 1. “There are two situations that make interesting stories: when an extraordinary person is plunged into the commonplace, and when an ordinary person gets involved in extraordinary events.” Dead Man Walking, written by Sister Helen Prejean, is a novel which challenges the ethics of the death penalty, and more specifically tells story of one young nun, Sister Helen, who is a crusader against the death penalty. Because she is the narrator, the reader …

…of Corrections, the district attorney, the judge, the jury, the Pardon Board, the witnesses to the execution. Nobody feels personally responsible for the death of this man.” (39) When reporting details about death, Sister Helen does not shy away from the gruesome aspects. She recognizes that death in of itself is gruesome, especially death by execution. By being truthful in her portrayal of execution, she provokes the reader to question whether or not execution is humane.