Angela XXXX
SOC/105 Introduction to Pop Culture
January 10, 2010
Instructor: Narketta Sparkman
Popular Literature Paper The purpose of this paper is to analyze a piece of popular literature including a critique of the story and a commentary about the influence of the work in popular culture. The paper will identify the literary production of The Green Mile written in 1996 by Stephen King. The paper will provide a brief description of what the novel is about, Stephen King’s background, and rather the novel fits other literature of the genre. Furthermore, the paper will discuss the cultural significance; whether the novel is economically successful or has fan followings and also what cultural values are reinforced or challenged. Background The Green Mile is about a man that was sent to prison for the rap and murder of two little girls and a prison guard who over time believes in the man’s innocents. The readers believe in the man’s innocents from the beginning; since, many times when and African American is put in prison in the beginning of a story there is always an assumption that he or she is put in prison over something a Caucasian has done. The suspense in the novel makes it difficult to put the book down, just when the reader thinks that he or she thinks they know what will happen-something changes. Stephen King is known a writer of horror fiction; many of his stories have unsuspected endings. The endings of most of his work keep the reader in suspense wondering if there is going to be a sequel to the story and wanting more. The Green Mile is a piece of literature that fits into the fiction genre; however, it is not a piece that fits in with horror as the Stephen King is known for. This novel can most likely fit as a fictional history genre. The novel may be fictional; however, aside from the paranormal events the way people were treated in prisons during 1932 which is the time that the novel was