MikeH

Answer: He's saying that while Percy may have high government connections to be able to get them fired, he and the other guards have lower connections that could hurt Percy physically and make his cowardice in the face of Wild Bill public, humiliating him and also likely costing him his job.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: The Warden tells them to stop it, but Paul says "He's still alive...you want me to stop it while he's still alive?" They could've stopped it, but that would've left Del horribly burned and disfigured. They chose to continue until he was dead, then they shut off the chair.

Chosen answer: It would appear so. He even says "I punished those bad men."

Chosen answer: Del (like every other prisoner on death row) was hoping for a last-minute pardon from the Governor or some sort of stay of execution from a court. The chance of that was slim to none, but they can always hope.

Scott215

Answer: My interpretation was, it was just some light-hearted humor on his part. In attempt to raise his own spirits, even if only for a little bit. Kind of in the same way a terminal patient might say "when I get out of here," even when they know there is no chance.

jshy7979

Chosen answer: He WAS heading for the toilet. He and his wife had an outhouse instead of an indoor bathroom.

Scott215

Chosen answer: Percy's aunt is married to the state Governor, giving Percy powerful connections. All it would take is one phone call from Percy and Paul and the other guards could lose their jobs and if Percy wanted to, never find jobs again. Something Paul or his friends didn't want to happen.

Answer: In addition to previous answers, it is probably also worth mentioning that they will never be able to prove it. Percy mentions multiple times that he "didn't know the sponge should be wet," even when they are back in the Green Mile and only Paul and the other guards are around, indicating that that will be his defence when they ever make it into a thing, knowing that they will never be able to prove otherwise.

Chosen answer: They do it for the same reason people practice anything. It is to stay on top of how to perform a certain function or activity. The man is just a volunteer. Correction officers (prison guards) who do executions would particularly have to make sure they can perform flawlessly. The state and/or federal government would closely regulate and monitor this. If anything was botched, there would be severe legal repercussions, possible job dismissals, and even lawsuits by families of the condemned prisoner. Also, executions are not performed on a regular basis at any one penitentiary, so constant practice would be essential to maintain an adequate skill level. Most likely, regular drills are required by law. There would also be changing or rotating staff that needs to be trained and/or retrained. There's been much publicity recently about several executions using lethal injections being done improperly, so it is hardly surprising the procedures would constantly be reviewed and practiced.

raywest ★

Chosen answer: Percy is a coward and froze in the heat of the moment. He has no idea how to deal with dangerous people, only helpless ones who are behind bars, like Del.

MovieFan612 ★