The Chamber

Essay by Jeff GreggHigh School, 12th gradeA+, December 1996

download word file, 6 pages 3.9

The Chamber: A Look Into the Novel and Film

Stories about crime prove to be a strong part of America's entertainment in this day. In The Chamber, John Grisham writes about a Klansman who is convicted of murder and a grandson who tries to save his grandfather is on death row. This story is now a major motion picture.

This story carries a strong emotional following to it because it both questions and supports the death penalty in different ways. Grisham shows this when he writes: ' ' I've hurt a lot of people, Adam, and I haven't always stopped to think about it. But when you have a date with the grim reaper, you think about the damage you've done.' ' The messages about the death penalty are brought about in different ways in the film and in the novel. Although the novel and film adaptation of The Chamber have some significant differences, the plot and character perspectives are used to convey a political message about the death penalty.

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The various characters in The Chamber have different traits and backgrounds that affect their perspectives on certain issues. Sam Cayhall is one of the main characters in the story whose background is filled with hate because of his connection with the Klan. 'The second member of the team was a Klansman by the name of Sam Cayhall,' 'The FBI knew that Cayhall's father had been a Klansman, . . . ' (Grisham 2-3). Sam, who is brought up under the influence of the Ku Klux Klan, uses 'politically incorrect' terms for other minorities when he talks with Adam Cayhall in death row. ' ' You Jew boys never quit, do you?' ', ' ' How many nigger partners do you have?' ' ' ' Just great. The Jew bastards...