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Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Metal
In Just Mercy, metal and the sounds it makes become emblematic of incarceration. When Stevenson arrives at the prison, the barbed wire fence, the bars on all access points, and the room completely made of metal highlight the rigid, unbending nature of prison. The metal cell doors and steel beds further diminish the prisoners’ freedom and humanity. As he waits to meet Henry, Stevenson notes that the sound of clanking chains from the man’s shackles mirrors his own jangled nerves. The reverberation of the metal door at the prison reinforces the space’s closed nature and emphasizes the guard’s pleasure at Henry and Stevenson’s discomfort. Stevenson also mentions the death row tradition of prisoners banging on bars to protest an execution, adding a jarring sound in one’s final moments symbolizing a fight to the end. As deputies transport McMillian, metal cuffs bite into his skin, but in the courthouse, with McMillian about to win his release, the lack of handcuffs allows him to wave to his supporters. For Joe Sullivan, the small metal cage where his wheelchair gets stuck illustrates an additional level of incarceration for this lifer already trapped by an unjust system. Cages, keys, cuffs, and bars are made of metal, so the constant sight and sound of metal against metal becomes synonymous with the inhumane treatment many receive in the justice system.
Songs
Several songs appear throughout Just Mercy, highlighting the significance of music as an expression of hope and woe as well as a way for people to connect. As a guard pushes the shackled Henry out of the meeting area, Henry throws his head back and sings. Stevenson recognizes the song as a church hymn from his youth, reminding him of the humanity he shares with the inmate. He also sees the song as a gift that confirms Henry’s generous, compassionate nature. In a moment of irony, the joy Stevenson finds in songs by Sly and the Family Stone leads to a potentially dangerous confrontation. When a Swedish children’s choir sings for Stevenson, though he doesn’t understand the words, their angelic voices remind him of his recently deceased mother. Herbert Richardson’s request to hear “The Old Rugged Cross” played as he walks to his execution, and Stevenson’s humming of the familiar church hymn, illustrate a common bond between the two men at the somber moment. Trina Garrett sings with a women’s group in prison, with their song “This Is Not My Home” suggesting hope for release.
The Confederate Flag
Having grown up in a segregated area, Stevenson sees displaying the Confederate flag as a reminder of the violent racial history of the United States and a sign that some Americans still hold on to those outdated prejudices. Stevenson describes the Confederate flag and racist bumper stickers on a prison guard’s truck to show how boldly law enforcement officials profess their prejudices without attracting suspicion. The flag hints at the guard’s racial discrimination, and his treatment of Stevenson confirms it, yet he is put in charge of a Black prisoner. Groups like the Klu Klux Klan use the flag and other symbols of the Confederate South to terrorize people. Following the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, many states in the South flew Confederate flags at government buildings, demonstrating an open level of government-sanctioned discrimination that would not be stopped by new federal legislation. The ubiquity of the Confederate flag throughout Just Mercy highlights the racial division that still exists in the United States despite the progress made over time. Stevenson shows that the Confederate flag stands for both past intimidation and a present problem.
