Forgiveness: Forgiveness—not only the act of forgiving
someone for his or her wrongdoings but also the act of
allowing oneself to be forgiven—plays a central role in
The Chamber. Sam is a criminal, and he is responsible
for some atrocious crimes in his past. He hasn’t been
forgiven for his crimes, and he hasn’t forgiven himself for
committing them. However, Grisham portrays him as
a sympathetic character—someone who is deserving of
forgiveness—so the reader begins to forgive him for the
mistakes he has made in the past. In turn, Adam begins
to forgive him for his crimes and fights hard to save him
from capital punishment. The question is—will society be
able to forgive him for his previous misdeeds? And perhaps
more importantly, will he be able to forgive himself ?