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Character Analysis: Dead Man Walking

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This quote refers to the prisoner Patrick Sonnier and how he was not invited to go to his own hearing. Having no power regarding important decisions like this can fill one with despair, because this decision is a matter of life or death, which directly affects his life. This affects Patrick by making him angry, which is understandable because they were helping to decide whether he should live or die, without Patrick being able to defend himself. Many people in the world do not have much power to decide how their life should go, but having no control of living can be one of the worst things to have no control over.
People in prison don’t have much control, and are often treated badly. Prejean summarizes what Patrick has to say about what it is like in the prison, saying “he’s already been sent to the “hole” because someone with a grievance had put contraband under his mattress. He had protested but to no avail. ‘You got no defense in this place’” (33). This shows how people in prison do not have many rights, and no one will stand up …show more content…

Rich people are often treated better than poor people. In Dead Man Walking, Prejean reiterates Millard Farmer’s words that “If Pat Sonnier had lots of money, he would have gotten himself a crackerjack attorney, who would hire top-notch investigators, a ballistics expert, a psychologist to compile profiles of “desirable” jurors, ‘and you can be sure he wouldn’t be sitting on death row today. That’s why you are never going to find a rich person on death row’” (49). This shows how people who are poor are treated worse than wealthier people, probably because they can’t afford as much. The wealthy can almost buy their way out of the death penalty, or even being in prison, but the poor can’t. It does not seem fair that an impoverished inmate may face death, while the wealthier inmate may go

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