The Sun Does Shine

by

Anthony Ray Hinton

Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom Character Analysis

Ray’s mom essentially raises Ray by herself after his father experiences a severe head injury in the coal mines. Ray is the youngest of 10 children, and Ray’s mom instills in him many of his key qualities: faith, optimism, and perseverance. When he is young, she tells him to ignore others’ racism, trust the police, have faith in God, and always do the right thing. When Ray is arrested, she does everything she can to help Ray, visiting him at Holman (where he’s on death row) every week. She sends desperate letters to Perhacs begging for him to help Ray, along with $25 money orders. Over time, however, Ray’s mom grows sick, and she stops coming to visit him because of the seven-hour car trip. Ray’s mom dies from cancer on September 22, 2002, while Ray is in prison. Having lost such a key pillar of support and love, Ray contemplates killing himself, but he hears his mom’s voice in his head telling him not to let the devil win and to instead fight tenaciously for his life and his freedom. In this way, Ray’s mom is a key bastion of support for him even after death, and she also reminds him to maintain faith and optimism so that he can one day walk free. Without her voice in his head, Ray wouldn’t have been able to survive.

Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom Quotes in The Sun Does Shine

The The Sun Does Shine quotes below are all either spoken by Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom or refer to Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Discrimination and the Criminal Justice System Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“God will fix this,” she kept saying. “God can do everything but fail, baby. God is going to fix this right up for you.”

“Yes, Mama,” I said, and I could see one of the guards look surprised at hearing me speak. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was done with God. God didn’t live in this place. If there was a God and he thought it was okay to send me to hell while I was still alive, well, then, he wasn’t my God. Not anymore. Not ever again.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom (speaker)
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

It was silent for a few moments, and then the most amazing thing happened. On a dark night, in what must surely be the most desolate and dehumanizing place on earth, a man laughed. A real laugh. And with that laughter, I realized that the State of Alabama could steal my future and my freedom, but they couldn’t steal my soul or my humanity. And they most certainly couldn’t steal my sense of humor. I missed my family. I missed Lester. But sometimes you have to make family where you find family, or you die in isolation. I wasn’t ready to die. I wasn’t going to make it that easy on them. I was going to find another way to do my time. Whatever time I had left.

Everything, I realized, is a choice.

And spending your days waiting to die is no way to live.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom, Lester
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

This isn’t your time to die, son. It’s not. You have work to do. You have to prove to them that my baby is no killer. You have to show them. You are a beacon. You are the light. Don’t you listen to that fool devil telling you to give up. I didn’t raise no child of mine to give up when things get tough. Your life isn’t your life to take. It belongs to God. You have work to do. Hard work. I’m going to talk at you all night long if I have to and all day and all night again, and I will never stop until you know who you are. You were not born to die in this cell. God has a purpose for you. He has a purpose for all of us. I’ve served my purpose.

Related Characters: Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom (speaker), Anthony Ray Hinton
Related Symbols: The Sun
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

I felt a flash of fear, and then I thought about the guys on the row. They would be watching the news. They would be seeing my release. […]

I closed my eyes, and I lifted my face to the sky. I said a prayer for my mama. I thanked God. I opened my eyes, and I looked at the cameras. There had been so much darkness for so long. So many dark days and dark nights. But no more. I had lived in a place where the sun refused to shine. Not anymore. Not ever again.

“The sun does shine,” I said, and then I looked at both Lester and Bryan—two men who had saved me—each in their own way. “The sun does shine,” I said again.

And then the tears began to fall.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Bryan Stevenson, Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom, Lester
Related Symbols: The Sun
Page Number: 294-295
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Sun Does Shine LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Sun Does Shine PDF

Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom Quotes in The Sun Does Shine

The The Sun Does Shine quotes below are all either spoken by Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom or refer to Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Discrimination and the Criminal Justice System Theme Icon
).
Chapter 9 Quotes

“God will fix this,” she kept saying. “God can do everything but fail, baby. God is going to fix this right up for you.”

“Yes, Mama,” I said, and I could see one of the guards look surprised at hearing me speak. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was done with God. God didn’t live in this place. If there was a God and he thought it was okay to send me to hell while I was still alive, well, then, he wasn’t my God. Not anymore. Not ever again.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom (speaker)
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

It was silent for a few moments, and then the most amazing thing happened. On a dark night, in what must surely be the most desolate and dehumanizing place on earth, a man laughed. A real laugh. And with that laughter, I realized that the State of Alabama could steal my future and my freedom, but they couldn’t steal my soul or my humanity. And they most certainly couldn’t steal my sense of humor. I missed my family. I missed Lester. But sometimes you have to make family where you find family, or you die in isolation. I wasn’t ready to die. I wasn’t going to make it that easy on them. I was going to find another way to do my time. Whatever time I had left.

Everything, I realized, is a choice.

And spending your days waiting to die is no way to live.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom, Lester
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19 Quotes

This isn’t your time to die, son. It’s not. You have work to do. You have to prove to them that my baby is no killer. You have to show them. You are a beacon. You are the light. Don’t you listen to that fool devil telling you to give up. I didn’t raise no child of mine to give up when things get tough. Your life isn’t your life to take. It belongs to God. You have work to do. Hard work. I’m going to talk at you all night long if I have to and all day and all night again, and I will never stop until you know who you are. You were not born to die in this cell. God has a purpose for you. He has a purpose for all of us. I’ve served my purpose.

Related Characters: Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom (speaker), Anthony Ray Hinton
Related Symbols: The Sun
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

I felt a flash of fear, and then I thought about the guys on the row. They would be watching the news. They would be seeing my release. […]

I closed my eyes, and I lifted my face to the sky. I said a prayer for my mama. I thanked God. I opened my eyes, and I looked at the cameras. There had been so much darkness for so long. So many dark days and dark nights. But no more. I had lived in a place where the sun refused to shine. Not anymore. Not ever again.

“The sun does shine,” I said, and then I looked at both Lester and Bryan—two men who had saved me—each in their own way. “The sun does shine,” I said again.

And then the tears began to fall.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Bryan Stevenson, Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom, Lester
Related Symbols: The Sun
Page Number: 294-295
Explanation and Analysis: