The Chamber: A Look Into The Novel And Film Essays -- essays research

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. (378) 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 have sent a greenhorn to save me. I've known for a long time that they secretly wanted me dead, now this proves it. I killed some Jews, now they want to kill me. I was right all along.' " (Grisham 77-78). These statements reflect Sam Cayhall's intense hate for others which is derived from his young upbringing in the Ku Klux Klan. Sam's background as a Klansman is told by Grisham using Sam telling Adam about generations of Klan activity: " `Why did you become a Klansman?' `Because my father was in the Klan.' `Why did he become a Klansman?' `Because his father was in the Klan.' `Great. Three gene... ...onster, Ruth Kramer thinks David McAllister is a hero for demanding justice. These are the two sides of the coin which is the death penalty in The Chamber. As Grisham writes it, Ruth Kramer's situation is well described by Lee in this line: " ‘Bitter? She lost her entire family. She's never remarried. Do you think she cares if my father intended to kill her children? Of course not. She just knows they're dead, Adam, dead for twenty-three years now. She knows they were killed by a bomb planted by my father, and if he'd been home with his family instead of riding around at night with his idiot buddies, little Josh and John would not be dead.' " (61). The Chamber is a story about life and death and how it is treated by different people. In the film, The Chamber more about relationships. " ‘The film is about a young man, very alone in the world, connecting with his grandfather and trying to understand who he is.' " (Greer 4). Despite the differences between the two, The Chamber proves to show a political message on the infliction of the death penalty in America.