Books and Stories Symbol Analysis

In The Sun Does Shine, books contain several layers of symbolic significance. Firstly, books and stories symbolize the power of escapism to ease one’s suffering. During his 28 years on Holman’s death row, Ray constantly fantasizes about meeting the Queen of England or winning the World Series. Spinning these stories in his mind gives him a sense of freedom, allowing him to mentally escape the confines of his prison cell and the bleakness of his life. As time goes on, Ray becomes so invested in these mental stories that time begins to pass far more quickly and effortlessly—which is important for someone who’s wrongly imprisoned on death row for nearly three decades. Besides helping the time pass, these stories also brighten Ray’s mood. He soon decides to start a book club at Holman so that the men can experience their own sense of mental freedom, even if they don’t have physical freedom.

Similarly, books also represent the idea that stories can be liberating for prisoners—and that prisoners deserve to have this kind of mental liberation. When Ray first arrives at Holman’s death row, the only book allowed in the men’s cells is the Bible. After Ray petitions for the men to be able to have a book club, the men are allowed to have two books each, and Ray observes how the books quickly open up a whole new world for the other inmates. When they read Go Tell It on the Mountain, for instance, they are immersed in Harlem in the early 1900s, which distracts them from their own harsh reality. But the books, many of which deal with racism in the American South, also enable them to discuss social and political issues, offering them a voice that they never had before. In this way, the books provide them with agency, education, and entertainment—liberating feelings for those who live in five-by-seven-foot cells.