Bennie is Henry Hays’s father and a high-ranking official of the KKK in the 1980s and 1990s. Although Henry has had a major change of heart over the years and now rejects the racist ideologies that his parents instilled in him, Bennie is still deeply racist himself. When Henry proudly declares that Ray is his best friend, Bennie refuses to shake Ray’s hand, clearly discriminating against Ray for being a Black man. On another day, while Bennie is visiting Henry in prison, he has a heart attack and dies.
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Bennie Hays Character Timeline in The Sun Does Shine
The timeline below shows where the character Bennie Hays appears in The Sun Does Shine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13
...gestures Ray over to meet his parents. Ray holds out his hand, but Henry’s father Bennie doesn’t shake it. Henry announces that Ray is his best friend, and then a guard...
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Chapter 14
...while inmates have to go back to their cells. Henry tells Ray that his dad, Bennie, fell over like he had a heart attack—he has a trial coming up that he’s...
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