Brutus Howell
Brutus Howell, known to his friends as Brutal and to the inmates as a man whose nickname is a joke—he would not hurt a fly unless he had to—is the physical and moral anchor of E Block. Over six feet tall and broad as a football tackle, he played at LSU until he flunked out and returned to the ridges of Cold Mountain. Despite his size, he is the gentlest of the regular guards, a man who understands that the job is not about violence but about talking men through their last hours. He is Paul Edgecombe's most trusted colleague, the one who stands beside him through every crisis, from the arrival of John Coffey to the botched execution of Eduard Delacroix and the final, terrible night of Coffey's own death.
Identity and Background
Brutus Howell is a man of immense physical presence—over six feet tall and broad, a former football tackle who played at LSU before flunking out and returning home. He is the largest of the E Block regulars, yet his nickname "Brutal" is a joke among the men who know him; he would not hurt a fly unless he had to. He is a bachelor, a man who lives simply, and he is utterly devoted to the work of the Green Mile, not as a punisher but as a caretaker of the condemned. He is the one who, late in the story, reveals that he once felt small and scared as a child, and that he kept his mother's handkerchief to smell her perfume when he felt weepy—a confession that explains his deep empathy for the frightened men he guards.
Life and Plot Trajectory
Brutal is present at every major event on E Block. He is there when John Coffey arrives, looking like a child next to the giant. He is the one who feeds the mouse that will become Mr. Jingles, tearing off a corner of his corned-beef sandwich and holding it out to the creature, and he is the one who first names the mouse Steamboat Willy, entering it in the visitors' book as a joke. He is the one who, when William Wharton attacks Dean Stanton with a wrist-chain, acts without hesitation—shoving Percy Wetmore aside and bringing his baton down on Wharton's head with a dull whock, saving Dean's life. He is the one who, after the botched execution of Delacroix, tells Percy that he is a chump and that he will never forget what he has done. He is the one who, when John Coffey heals Mr. Jingles, watches with silent wonder and then hands the colored spool back to Delacroix, wanting to see how the mouse runs.
Key Actions and Objectives
Brutal's primary objective is to do his job with decency and to protect the men he works with. He is the one who, when Paul proposes the insane plan to take John Coffey out of the prison to heal Melinda Moores, listens, considers, and then says, "I'm in. I feel bad about Del, too, but mostly I think I just want to see what happens when he touches her." He is the one who, during the night journey, rides in the back of Harry's truck with John Coffey, watching the giant stare at the stars and call out Cassiopeia as "the lady in the rockin chair." He is the one who, when John Coffey begins to cough and choke after healing Melinda, whams him on the back and shouts for him to sick it up. He is the one who, when Percy Wetmore is released from the restraint room, grabs Percy's face and delivers the most terrifying threat of the book: "If you go back on your promise, we'll most likely take an ass-fucking. But then we'll find you—if we have to go all the way to Russia, we'll find you—and we will fuck you, not just up the ass but in every hole you own."
Relationships and Conflict
Brutal's closest relationship is with Paul Edgecombe. They are partners in every sense, sharing the burden of the work and the moral weight of the executions. He is also a mentor figure to the other guards, particularly Dean and Harry, and he is the one who, after the execution of John Coffey, tells Paul that he cannot do this anymore, that seeing one more man in that chair would kill him. His relationship with Percy Wetmore is one of pure contempt; he sees Percy as a sad case, a man who is mean and stupid and dangerous. He is the one who, when Percy stomps on Mr. Jingles, tells him that he is no better at mouse-killing than he is at most of the other things he does. He is also the one who, when Percy shoots William Wharton, takes charge of the situation, telling the others that they are hung and then, when Paul says they will be okay, accepting the lie and moving forward.
Change and Ending
Brutal's arc is one of moral exhaustion. He begins the story as a man who can joke about the mouse and laugh at Old Toot-Toot's antics during rehearsals, but by the end, he is a man who feels that he is in danger of hell for what he has done. He is the one who, after the execution of John Coffey, tells Paul that he will put in for a transfer to Boys' Correctional, and that if he does not get it, he will resign and go back to farming. He never takes part in another execution. He dies of a heart attack about twenty-five years later, eating a fish sandwich and watching TV wrestling. He is remembered by Paul as a good man, maybe the best of them, a man who had no trouble understanding how a man could simultaneously want to go and still be terrified of the trip.
Narrative Role and Evaluation
Brutus Howell is the moral center of The Green Mile. He is the character who most clearly articulates the horror of what they are doing, the one who says that they are fixing to kill a gift of God. He is the one who, when Paul asks him if he is ready for the execution of John Coffey, says that he is, but that he feels as if he is in danger of hell. He is the one who, in the end, cannot bear to put the mask on John Coffey's face, and who stands at parade rest with his hands behind his back, unable to speak the final words, leaving Paul to say "Roll on two." He is a man of immense physical strength and even greater moral strength, a man who does his job with decency and then walks away from it when he can no longer bear the weight. He is, in every sense, the best of them.
