Chapter 9

The Harveys speak to New Orleans Magazine and accuse Prejean of using them to tilt the outcome at the Pardon Board hearing. Deciding to avoid rather than confront them, she starts visiting Willie every week, along with regular visits to his mother and aunt. Willie talks about how he wished he had done more to win the favor of the warden, although his lawsuit has won some modest improvements. He claims he is ready to die but fears seeing his mother break down when the time for his execution comes. He does not fully reckon with his crime but muses: “I hope my death gives the Harveys some peace” (179). Prejean speaks to the officer in charge of death row, who bears the full weight of what he has allowed to happen, unable to tell himself that “he’s just doing his job” (180). Not long after, he is transferred to another part of the prison, retires, and dies of a heart attack. When Willie is transferred to the death house, he asks for Prejean’s presence, unwilling as he is to make friends with the guards who will soon kill him. Willie gives interviews to several media outlets, including one where he praises Adolf Hitler and claims to have joined the white supremacist prison gang the Aryan Brotherhood.

Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Summary

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Summary

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 9-11 Analysis

Values & Ideas

Books on Justice & Injustice

Community Book Clubs

Community Reads

Social Issues

Contemporary Books on Social Justice

Nonfiction

Inspiring Biographies

Life & Time

Mortality & Death

Government & Business

Politics & Government

Humanities

Religion & Spirituality

True Crime & Legal

Helen Prejean

Adult

Autobiography / Memoir

Guide

Study Guide

Book Brief

Explore Dead Man Walking reviews, reading age recommendations, and essential genre and thematic details before you start reading.

About Dead Man Walking

title

content

Overview

Get ready to explore Dead Man Walking and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

Dead Man Walking Summary

contentWarning

Background

Dead Man Walking Background

chapter

chapterType

section

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Dead Man Walking Chapters 1-2 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 3-4

Dead Man Walking Chapters 3-4 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 5-6

Dead Man Walking Chapters 5-6 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 7-8

Dead Man Walking Chapters 7-8 Summary & Analysis

Dead Man Walking Chapters 9-11 Summary & Analysis

keyFigure

Key Figures

Dead Man Walking Key Figures

theme

Themes

Dead Man Walking Themes

Index of Terms

Dead Man Walking Index of Terms

quote

citation

character

Important Quotes

Dead Man Walking Important Quotes with Page Numbers

primaryCharacter

Essay Topics

Dead Man Walking Essay Topics

Dead Man Walking

Chapters 9-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Featured Collections