Medal Symbol Analysis

After John Coffey miraculously cures Melinda Moores of her brain tumor, she gives her savior a medal of Saint Christopher, telling him to wear it around his neck as protection. In addition to symbolizing Melinda’s gratefulness, the woman’s gesture highlights the parallels between the lives of John Coffey and of the Christian martyr Saint Christopher. According to legend, Saint Christopher—whose original name was Reprobus—was a giant in size and strength who served Christ by helping travelers cross a dangerous river. One day, an unusually heavy child he is carrying across the river reveals himself to be Christ. The child tells Reprobus that he is currently bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders—as well as that of Christ his king—and that he shall be renamed Christopher, which means “Christ-bearer.” Christopher is later beheaded by enemies of Christianity who try—and fail—to make him renounce his faith. Like Saint Christopher, Coffey, too, bears the weight of other people’s suffering on his shoulders. He, too, is condemned to die because he cannot renounce who he truly is: a man who serves God by saving humans’ lives (and, in this particular case, by trying to save the lives of the Detterick twins). The medal of Saint Christopher thus highlights the suffering that Coffey is forced to endure as a servant of God. It emphasizes Coffey’s role as a mediator between the divine and the human realms, as he helps humans survive the dangerous course (or “river”) of life.