Bryan Stevenson Character Analysis in The Sun Does Shine

Bryan Stevenson, a Black man, is Ray’s last (and best) lawyer and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). After Ray fires Perhacs, Bryan sends Santha and then Alan to help Ray with his case. Eventually, however, Bryan takes over Ray’s case himself. He works tirelessly for Ray over the years, trying to find every avenue with which to appeal his case. Ray immediately recognizes Bryan’s compassion, and the two become friends over the many visits that Bryan pays to Ray. Bryan also represents many of the other inmates on death row; he is adamant in his fight against discrimination in the criminal justice system. Like Ray, Bryan lays out arguments for why the death penalty should be abolished: primarily, that innocent people often land on death row because of the inadequate defense they receive in their initial trials. He also argues that every person is worthy of life, regardless of the crimes that they have committed. Bryan is a beacon of light for Ray, but Ray also acknowledges that Bryan’s work weighs heavily on him, and Ray tries to support Bryan in return. Bryan works on Ray’s case for 15 years, hiring new ballistics experts for Ray’s case, filing numerous petitions and appeals, and ultimately taking it to the Supreme Court and winning, getting all charges dropped against Ray. When Ray is released from prison, Bryan is with him, and Ray pays back the support and kindness Bryan has shown him by working at EJI several days a week and fighting against the death penalty alongside Bryan.

Bryan Stevenson Quotes in The Sun Does Shine

The The Sun Does Shine quotes below are all either spoken by Bryan Stevenson or refer to Bryan Stevenson. 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

Some days, I could see he was tired, and I wondered about the wear on a person when so many lives depend on what you do each day. He carried a big burden, and it wasn’t just mine. He spoke of justice and of mercy and of a system that was so broken it locked up children and the mentally ill and the innocent. “No one is beyond redemption,” he would say. No one is undeserving of their own life or their own potential to change. He had such compassion for victims and for perpetrators, and an intolerance and even anger for those in power who abused that power.

Related Characters: Anthony Ray Hinton (speaker), Bryan Stevenson, Sheldon Perhacs, Henry Hays

Page Number and Citation: 221

Explanation and Analysis:

After Bryan takes over Ray’s case, he visits frequently and the two become friends. In this passage, Ray illustrates what makes Bryan an incredible lawyer. The fact that he carries a big burden shows how much he and the team of lawyers at the Equal Justice Initiative support the inmates on death row. He recognizes that people’s lives literally rest in his hands, in a contrast from someone like Perhacs who seemed to care far more about money than about defending Ray’s life. Bryan’s arguments also build on Ray’s own arguments regarding the death penalty and criminal justice. Bryan recognizes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Du

Alabama’s death penalty is a lie. It is a perverse monument to inequality, to how some lives matter and others do not. It is a violent example of how we protect and value the rich and abandon and devalue the poor. It is a grim, disturbing shadow cast by the legacy of racial apartheid used to condemn the disfavored among us. It’s the symbol elected officials hold up to strengthen their tough-on-crime reputations while distracting us from the causes of violence. The death penalty is an enemy of grace, redemption and all who value life and recognize that each person is more than their worst act.

Related Characters: Bryan Stevenson (speaker), Anthony Ray Hinton, Judge Garrett

Page Number and Citation: 266

Explanation and Analysis:

After Judge Garrett denies Ray’s Rule 32 hearing in January 2005, Bryan writes an opinion piece in the Birmingham News, arguing against the death penalty. In this passage, he lays out some of the reasons why the death penalty is unjust, summarizing many of the factors that led to Ray’s own conviction. Bryan’s reference to how “some lives matter” implies that inequality exists within the system, as some lives matter while others do not. He notes that the courts are a legacy of racial apartheid, referring to the Jim Crow Laws and segregation that made society separate and unequal for Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui e

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), Lester, Bryan Stevenson, Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom

Related Symbols: The Sun

Page Number and Citation: 294-295

Explanation and Analysis:

When Ray is finally released from prison after nearly 30 years, he greets his family and friends before facing the media. This passage is the culmination of all that Ray has faced over the previous 30 years. When Ray says, “The sun does shine,” he is referring back to a discussion that he and the other inmates had in their book club. They discussed a passage from James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, in which they main characters talk about trying to make a place in white people’s world until “the sun refused to shine.” At the time, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempo

Bryan Stevenson Character Timeline in The Sun Does Shine

The timeline below shows where the character Bryan Stevenson appears in The Sun Does Shine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Suffering, Community, and Support Theme Icon

...to other inmates talk about their own appeals. They constantly talk about a man named Bryan Stevenson, who sends lawyers to help many of the inmates, but Ray largely ignores their... (full context)

...execute Herbert Richardson, a Vietnam veteran. Ray finds out later that a young attorney named Bryan Stevenson sat with Herb all day and stayed with him through the end. (full context)

...call him Ray. He then asks who sent her, and she replies that it was Bryan Stevenson. (full context)

...In addition, Santha says she can’t represent Ray anymore because of a new job, but Bryan Stevenson will send another lawyer. (full context)

...and fears getting an execution date without representation. Ray decides to write a letter to Bryan Stevenson, thanking him for sending Alan but asking if Bryan could be his lawyer instead.... (full context)

Ray decides to call Bryan’s foundation—the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Bryan answers, and Ray informs Bryan that he fired Alan.... (full context)

Bryan apologizes that Alan asked Ray for money, and he asks Ray to tell him his... (full context)

Bryan also tells Ray that they are a team, and he wants to hear any ideas... (full context)

Ray talks to his mom about Bryan, explaining that the lawyer is going to come see her. Ray’s mom wants him to... (full context)

After Bryan starts the case summary, he returns to Holman on a regular basis. He and Ray... (full context)

The case summary that Bryan prepares is almost 200 pages long, and Ray is glad that Bryan wants him to... (full context)

Bryan finds two ballistics experts from Texas and another from the FBI—three unimpeachable white men who... (full context)

Three years later, in February 2002, Bryan sends another letter to Ray explaining that the chief deputy district attorney in Jefferson County... (full context)

Bryan also sends his memo for the hearing to Ray, in which he presents the evidence... (full context)

...important than the two or three days of the attorney general’s time. After this statement, Bryan writes to Ray, assuring him that Judge Garrett is very suspicious that the state seems... (full context)

Judge Garrett notes that the experts’ testimony might just be a difference of opinion, but Bryan argues that these experts are unimpeachable. The Assistant Attorney General then claims that Payne was... (full context)

Through the summer of 2002, Ray and Bryan wait for a ruling from Judge Garrett. When Lester visits one day, Ray is confident... (full context)

About a year after Ray’s mom’s death in 2002, Ray receives a letter from Bryan. Bryan explains that Judge Garrett is going to retire, but the judge intends to keep... (full context)

...changed the margins), wasting two and a half years of Ray’s life for no reason. Bryan writes that he will file a motion objecting to the ruling, and then after 10... (full context)

...publishes a series of articles on the death penalty, with opinion pieces for and against. Bryan writes the piece against the death penalty. He partly tells Ray’s story, being on death... (full context)

Bryan writes that as a nameless Black man, Ray was presumed guilty before his trial, and... (full context)

...a gun if Ray were released. After the hearing (which Ray isn’t allowed to attend), Bryan writes to Ray to explain that the newspaper articles and subsequent letters people are sending... (full context)

In June 2006, Bryan informs Ray that the Court of Criminal Appeals denied their appeal, and now they’re going... (full context)

...concludes that Judge Garrett thought Payne was competent, but she doesn’t give her own opinion. Bryan says this is better than her agreeing with the state and independently finding Payne competent. (full context)

Ray is growing pessimistic. Since the day that Bryan hoped Ray would spend his last Thanksgiving on death row, 37 men have been executed.... (full context)

In 2013, the Alabama Supreme Court finally denies Ray’s appeal. When Bryan calls to tell Ray about the ruling, Bryan worries that he didn’t do enough. Ray... (full context)

The next time Bryan visits, he presents Ray with their options. They can build a case based on Ray’s... (full context)

Over the next six months, while Bryan is preparing Ray’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, Ray reflects on the good moments... (full context)

Bryan files Ray’s petition in October 2013, and in February 2014, Ray and Bryan speak on... (full context)

...32 petition. Ray isn’t free yet, but he’s going to have a new trial with Bryan and the three ballistics experts. In the meantime, Ray will be moved out of Holman... (full context)

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015, while Ray is meeting with one of Bryan’s staff attorneys, the attorney gets a call from Bryan and says that Ray has to... (full context)

When Ray gets Bryan on the phone, Bryan excitedly tells him that the district attorney filed a document without... (full context)

Ray then grows quiet; he doesn’t know how to thank Bryan for all he’s done. Bryan has been by Ray’s side for 15 years and behind... (full context)

On Friday morning, Ray changes into a suit that Bryan brings him. Before Ray walks out to meet his friends and family, Bryan says that... (full context)

...someone to tell them what he’s doing; and he doesn’t trust anyone except Lester and Bryan. (full context)

A few days a week, Ray works with Bryan at EJI, and he travels around and tells his story. He doesn’t have any retirement... (full context)

Bryan Stevenson Character Analysis

Bryan Stevenson Quotes in The Sun Does Shine

Chapter 18 Quotes

Chapter 20 Quotes

Chapter 23 Quotes

Bryan Stevenson Character Timeline in The Sun Does Shine