The Green Mile

The Green Mile

by

Stephen King

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Green Mile makes teaching easy.
The father of Kathe and Cora. He sets off immediately with his son Howie when he learns of his twins’ disappearance. Upon discovering John Coffey with the bodies of his two daughters, he attacks him violently but goes limp when he is pulled away from Coffey, suggesting that he was affected by Coffey’s special powers. His quiet demeanor at Coffey’s execution contrasts sharply with his wife’s virulent insults, and he dies of a stroke a few months later.
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Klaus Detterick Character Timeline in The Green Mile

The timeline below shows where the character Klaus Detterick appears in The Green Mile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Chapter 4 
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Racism Theme Icon
...period when cotton plantations no longer exist but cotton farming is experiencing a brief revival, Klaus Detterick is the owner of a relatively prosperous cotton farm. One evening in June, his... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Racism Theme Icon
...are drops of blood on the floor. Despite his wife’s pleas not to do so, Klaus and his son Howie set off, firearms in hand, in search of the girls. Marjorie,... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
When Klaus and Howie go around the barn, they discover the dog Bowser’s dead body, his head... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Klaus and Howie are gatherers, not hunters, and are therefore not adept at following someone’s trail.... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Morality and Justice Theme Icon
Meanwhile, Klaus and Howie, who have by then found various pieces of the girls’ clothing soaked in... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
...and Deputy McGee leads the group of stunned men onward, while still making sure that Klaus Detterick is under control. (full context)
Morality and Justice Theme Icon
Love, Compassion, and Healing Theme Icon
Out of rage at seeing the dead bodies of his two little girls, Klaus Detterick throws himself at Coffey and kicks him in the temple, but Coffey is unaffected.... (full context)
Part 6: Chapter 5
Morality and Justice Theme Icon
...came back from his visit to the Dettericks, he was clearly convinced of Wharton’s guilt. Klaus Detterick told him that, some time before his girls’ murder, he had hired a young... (full context)
Part 6: Chapter 10
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Morality and Justice Theme Icon
Racism Theme Icon
There are fourteen witnesses at the execution, including Homer Cribus and Klaus and Marjorie Detterick—although, like Hal Moores, Deputy McGee is absent. As John and the guards... (full context)
Death and the Death Penalty Theme Icon
Morality and Justice Theme Icon
...her husband is strikingly calm and quiet, and Paul is not surprised to learn that Klaus died of a stroke one month later. While Brutal gives his official speech, he keeps... (full context)