Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Character Analysis in The Green Mile

This mouse, which appears on E block one evening, shows signs of quasi-human, supernatural intelligence. It peers into the cells along the Green Mile as though it were looking for someone, and Paul later concludes that it had been waiting for Eduard Delacroix all along. Delacroix looks after and loves Mr. Jingles, and after Del’s execution, Mr. Jingles disappears, never to be seen again in the prison—but Paul later discovers that the mouse had stashed pieces of peppermint candy and splinters from the colored spool, which remind him of Delacroix. After John Coffey touches Mr. Jingles, he is given the supernatural gift of resistance to the effects of age. Years after the main events of the story, Mr. Jingles lives in a shed near Paul’s nursing home, where Paul visits him and feeds him pieces of toast. He dies there of a heart attack, perhaps brought about by the appearance of Brad Dolan (whom Paul sees as a reincarnation of Percy).

Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Quotes in The Green Mile

The The Green Mile quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) or refer to Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

This is the real circus, I thought, closing my eyes for a second. This is the real circus right here, and we’re all just a bunch of trained mice. Then I put the thought out of my mind, and we started to rehearse.

Related Characters: (speaker), , ,

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 216

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Character Timeline in The Green Mile

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) appears in The Green Mile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Love, Compassion, and Healing Theme Icon

Paul also tells Del—who is watching the action from his cell with his mouse Mr. Jingles on his shoulder—to go lie down, reminding him with authority that this is... (full context)

...that Delacroix cried a bit before going to bed but that he took his pet mouse, Mr. Jingles, out of his box, and calmed down. Brutal also mentions trying to talk... (full context)

Paul calls Delacroix’s mouse one of God’s mysteries. He recounts the first time the mouse appeared on E block.... (full context)

Brutal opens the “Visitors” book and records the mouse’s appearance, calling it “Steamboat Willy,” a reference to Mickey Mouse. Paul laughs, but Dean says... (full context)

...are unable to find him. They see no cracks or holes big enough for the mouse to fit in and do not understand how it could possibly have gotten into the... (full context)

...at the intersection of two roof beams, Paul notices a quarter-sized hole he thinks the mouse must have crawled through. Brutal tells Paul not only to look at it but to... (full context)

Paul recalls how, a few moments before Delacroix’s execution, he promised Delacroix to protect his mouse. He notes that, in fact, he always promised to honor the inmates’ final wishes, however... (full context)

Inside the mouse’s hole, Paul also finds little colored splinters of wood, which have been colored with wax... (full context)

Three days after Percy chases the mouse down the Green Mile, the mouse reappears during the shift of Percy, Dean, and Bill... (full context)

Eager to show Bill what the mouse can do, Dean breaks off a bit of Ritz Cracker and feeds it to the... (full context)

When Dean gives the mouse another piece of cracker, Percy, who had been taking aim, suddenly throws his baton at... (full context)

Despite the mouse’s moment of fright, it returns to E block the next evening, on Percy’s night off.... (full context)

...the night before, Toot-Toot, who sells snacks in the prison, comes in and sees the mouse. The Pres notes that it seems as though the mouse knows that Percy is not... (full context)

Harry gives the mouse a bit of cinnamon apple and everyone laughs at the sight of the mouse eating... (full context)

As the days go by and the mouse keeps on appearing on days when Percy is absent, it becomes more and more difficult... (full context)

...have their backs to the chair and are not watching. They are looking at the mouse, which has just appeared in the doorway and seems to be watching the rehearsal. (full context)

...greater clarity—such as the fact that, from its very first appearance on the Green Mile, Mr. Jingles had been looking for Delacroix. (full context)

...Delacroix’s cell to see what is happening. Delacroix tells him that he has found a mouse—the same one that the guards used to call Steamboat Willy. Delacroix, who until then has... (full context)

...were working at the prison anymore, Hal told Paul that, around the same time as Mr. Jingles ’s reappearance, Percy had been complaining to him about Paul and life on E block... (full context)

A week later, Delacroix calls the guards to show them Mr. Jingles ’s latest trick. Paul arrives to see Mr. Jingles eating one of Delacroix’s peppermint candies,... (full context)

...throws the spool on the floor and, looking at the spool with disconcerting intelligence, the mouse runs after it like a dog. After the spool rebounds against the wall, Mr. Jingles... (full context)

...make the trick more like a circus act. Delacroix is delighted to think of his mouse as a circus mouse. Paul sees him so excited that he believes the man has... (full context)

...becomes convinced that Coffey has worked a magic charm on him. He tells Paul that Mr. Jingles has whispered to him that John is a gris-gris man. Feeling that he is floating,... (full context)

...front of a group of prison staff. Delighted at the idea of showing off his mouse’s feats, Delacroix believes himself to be in charge of a circus. After he leaves, excited... (full context)

...is going to happen. Paul says that something bad did indeed happen, for Percy killed Mr. Jingles at ten that night. (full context)

...happen to Mr. Jingles. While constantly throwing the spool against the wall—a trick that the mouse never seems to tire of but which soon gets on Paul’s nerves—Delacroix shares his thoughts... (full context)

...too hard against the wall and the object slips through the cell door with the mouse following it, Percy violently steps on Mr. Jingles with his boot. Mr. Jingles is crushed,... (full context)

...One rainy day, as Paul is walking back from the woods, remembering how Percy crushed Mr. Jingles with his boot, Brad Dolan surprises him by grabbing his wrist. Paul steps back, terrified... (full context)

...and utter lack of respect, Paul gets back to recounting what happened between Percy and Mr. Jingles . (full context)

...what to do, Coffey’s voice rises from behind them, compelling them to give him the mouse. (full context)

...him to keep quiet. He places Mr. Jingles in Coffey’s hands, where Coffey holds the mouse’s quivering body and soon closes both hands over it so that only the tail is... (full context)

As the guards watch, dumbfounded, Coffey lets Mr. Jingles back down. The mouse looks normal again, if not for a little bit of blood on his whiskers, and... (full context)

...that he does indeed look mean—and that he enjoyed not only what he did to Mr. Jingles but also, and to an even greater extent, hearing Delacroix’s horrified screams. (full context)

...him to shut up. Paul is furious and tells Percy he should be glad the mouse is alive. Brutal joins in with a threatening attitude, and Percy fearfully says he has... (full context)

...serious and nervous. When Paul comes to pick Delacroix up, Delacroix, in tears, hands him Mr. Jingles and makes him promise that nothing bad will happen to him. (full context)

After Delacroix gives his mouse one last kiss, which puts the guards on the verge of tears, Dean, Brutal, and... (full context)

...apologizes for his crimes and, in a whisper, asks Paul to take care of his mouse. As Paul is reassuring him, Percy reveals to Delacroix that Mouseville is an invented place,... (full context)

...he went to the restraint room, and Paul believes he will be back. However, the mouse, never returns. Paul means to return to his desk but, instead, suddenly inspired, he calls... (full context)

...Paul explains that what is on his mind has to do with John Coffey and Mr. Jingles . Paul refers to Coffey’s healing of Mr. Jingles, which they all witnessed, to reveal... (full context)

...same way that Paul saw them liven up when he healed his urinary infection and Mr. Jingles . This time, however, Coffey’s glance is colder and Paul feels a moment of fear... (full context)

...the execution. As the men walk toward Paul’s office, John tells Paul he dreamed that Mr. Jingles went to Mouseville and that the two blonde girls were there too. Paul feels that... (full context)

...the door and Elaine lets out a surprised scream. Paul calls Mr. Jingles and the mouse appears, slowly limping into John’s hand. Then, to Elaine’s disbelief, Paul takes out a colored... (full context)

Paul says the mouse appeared out of nowhere, showing up at the nursing home one day, and that he... (full context)

...residents. Paul begins to cry when he sees the peppermint candies he had bought for Mr. Jingles and, together, Paul and Elaine bury Mr. Jingles outside the shed. After that, they go... (full context)

...about God, who chose to sacrifice innocent John Coffey. Paul thinks of the deaths of Mr. Jingles and of his wife Janice. He says he does suffer from one ill: insomnia. He... (full context)

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Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Character Analysis

Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Quotes in The Green Mile

Mr. Jingles (also “Steamboat Willy”) Character Timeline in The Green Mile

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