The film, Dead Man Walking, directed by Tim Robbins is both powerful and emotional. Sister Helen Prejean, played by Susan Sarandon, is a catholic nun who provides unconditional love to all of God’s children whether they have done harm or not. Matthew Poncelet, played by Sean Penn, is a criminal, one who has done harm and seen as a monster that is on death row for his brutal murder and rape of a teenage couple.
In this movie, Matthew Poncelet is silenced by the government, the victim’s parents, the public, and most important of all, himself. The government silences him because he comes from a poor family and can not afford a good lawyer to help him get the lightest sentence possible, away from the death penalty as a consequence for his actions. The following quote by lawyer Hilton Barber, in Poncelet’s plea for a stay of his execution argues, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s be honest. You’re not going to find many rich people on death row” reflects the silencing that occurs throughout the movie. His partner in crime had received a lighter sentence because he was able to afford a better lawyer who had a stronger voice in the justice system. The victim’s parents have been overwhelmed with sorrow and hatred since the death of their children. The sorrow and hatred had set up a barrier between themselves and Poncelet. The parents are more concerned with Poncelet’s actions rather than the reason for his actions. Furthermore, the public has a negative impression of Poncelet, mostly due to the immense bias from the media, which places almost all the blame of the murder on Poncelet and scarcely any on his partner. Memories from the past and the way Poncelet had been brought up had made him the way he is today. He silences himself often, holding up armours to his character to protect his pride. He does not bother to express his true feelings or the truth to anybody, especially the media; he doesn’t expose his true feelings of weakness and loneliness to anyone....