Dead Man Walking Sister Helen Prejean, Gained

¶ … Dead Man Walking Sister Helen Prejean, gained popularity as an activist working to abolish the capital punishment wrote 'Dead Man Walking'. As a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, which she joined in 1957, she has lectured on this crucial subject of capital punishment appearing on ABC World Tonight, 60 Minutes, BBC World Service and NBC.

THE BOOK 'DEAD MAN WALKING' and THE FILM 'DEAD MAN WALKING', DIRECTED BY TIM ROBBINS Sister Helen Prejean in her book Dead man Walking has given her personal experiences with the convicted killers, whom she meets upon the request of the Prison Coalition of Louisiana in 1982. It also highlights the grieving families of the murdered victims, the system and the people who are empowered the authority to award death sentences.

The book gives us her personal experiences as a Catholic nun working for the cause of the poor, accompanied by her strong beliefs in faith and philosophy and her findings of the inefficient legal system working against the poor in general. It is written in a narrative form and takes a more pervasive look of the problem or rather the controversy of the Death Penalty debate.

The discovery of the fact that death row inmates generally belong to a particular class of society prompted her to write in detail on the system, which engulfs the crucial capital punishment decree. On the other hand, the motion picture 'Dead man Walking' based on the novel written by Sister Helen Prejean gives us an insight on the system of capital punishment and the controversies surrounding this crucial issue. It is focused on one death row inmate and the relationship he forms with the Sister.

The film shows us the relationship that builds up between a Catholic nun, played by Susan Sarandon, and the convicted killer of two teenaged lovers played by Sean Penn. The film focuses on the life of this Catholic nun who is caught between the request of the convicted killer to save his life and the justice demanded by the grieved family of the murdered teenagers.

The film also highlights the plight of the black community who in this film are shown to be victimized due to their color in a society preaching and practicing justice. Another important issue that has been highlighted in the film is the difference of attitude towards the same issue. The death row inmate in this case belongs to the black community and being poor is unable to afford the services of a distinguished lawyer. Thus the film portrays the apathy of the victim.

On the other hand the victims, the two teenagers belong to the more affluent section of the society, and the rage of their parents in demanding justice is only too vivid. Conclusion Sister Helen's character in the film successfully highlights the conflict between life and death and her book has tried to bring forth the difference in the method of prosecution for the poor of the society, the same has been shown in the film, yet in a more limited fashion. Thus we see.