Dead Man Walking

Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to violent crimes and capital punishment.

The cases of Sonnier and Willie are similar in many ways, but how do they each present distinct challenges for Sister Prejean? What are some of the different lessons she learns from each of them?

How might you respond to the charge, often leveled at Sister Prejean, that her advocacy for death penalty abolition is ‘political’ and therefore at odds with her work as a nun? What is her response to this claim, and what do you make of it?

Prejean is never able to establish whether Sonnier was telling the truth when he attributed the rape and murders to his brother. Would greater certainty, either to establish it as true or false, have made any difference? What purpose does the question serve if it never finds a resolution?