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Buhlar Hinton/Ray’s Mom
Lester is Ray’s best friend. Growing up, Lester and Ray do everything together: they walk home from school together, spend holidays together, and work in the mines together. When Ray is arrested, Lester remains one of Rays staunchest supporters. He visits Ray each week along with Ray’s mom and sometimes even his own mom, Phoebe, making a seven-hour round trip every single Friday for 30 years. Lester sometimes feels guilty for being able to move on with his life—for example, marrying a girl named Sia—while Ray is stuck in prison. Still, Ray is exceptionally grateful towards Lester throughout his time at Holman (where he’s on death row), particularly when Ray’s mother dies, highlighting the importance of empathy and community support. After Ray gets out of prison, Lester takes him to his mom’s grave, houses him until he can get back on his feet, and helps him get accustomed to the outside world after 30 years of being in jail. In turn, Ray takes Lester on many of his trips to speak out against the death penalty.
Lester Quotes in The Sun Does Shine
The The Sun Does Shine quotes below are all either spoken by Lester or refer to Lester. 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:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
I took a deep breath. I knew I had a choice. Looking up at that sky, I knew I could get angry or I could have some faith. It was always a choice. I could easily have been angry, and maybe I should have been angry. This was God’s country, and I chose instead to love every single shade of blue that the sky wanted to show me. And when I turned my head to the right, I could see what looked like ten different shades of green. This was real and true, and it reminded me that even when you are flat on your back on the ground, there is beauty if you look for it.
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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.
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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.
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Lester Character Timeline in The Sun Does Shine
The timeline below shows where the character Lester appears in The Sun Does Shine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Every week, Ray’s mom and his best friend Lester visit him in jail. Ray is the youngest of 10 children and he is very...
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Chapter 2
Ray and Lester start to walk home together. When a car approaches that they don’t recognize, they jump...
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...the ground because of the color of their skin. After another car passes, Ray and Lester resume their trek home.
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Chapter 4
...in February. Two days later, Ray celebrates the Fourth of July with his mom and Lester. He notes that the holiday is the biggest in Alabama, with parade floats, games, races,...
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Chapter 6
...wait for his trial. Over this time, Ray barely gets the chance to talk to Lester and his mom, as collect calls are expensive. A grand jury indicts Ray on November...
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...Ray actually committed the crime. He’s frustrated that no one seems to believe him except Lester and his mom. Ray calls Perhacs periodically to tell him how much he appreciates the...
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Chapter 7
...that he likely just would have been shot and killed. He misses his mom and Lester. He broke up with Sylvia a year earlier, not knowing how long he would be...
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Chapter 9
...means to be poor. After the first visit, Ray’s mom returns every week along with Lester, making a seven hour round-trip drive each Friday.
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Chapter 10
When Ray’s mom and Lester come at the end of the week, Ray pulls Lester aside to tell him what...
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Chapter 11
...by thinking about his mom—he called her earlier that day and she told him that Lester is getting married. Ray is hurt that Lester didn’t say so himself, but Ray realizes...
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Chapter 12
...confused: it’s only Wednesday, and visiting days are Friday. But when Ray sees his mom, Lester, Lester’s mom Phoebe, and Lester’s new wife Sia, Ray realizes that it is Friday, and...
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Chapter 13
...and then a guard yells at Ray to sit down. As Ray sits, he tells Lester that they just made some wild progress on death row. Ray realizes how much it...
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Chapter 14
The next visiting day, Lester and Sia come alone—Ray’s mom isn’t feeling well enough to visit. Ray tells them that...
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Chapter 19
...at the crime scene matched Ray’s mom’s gun. Ray is glad to see his mom, Lester, and Phoebe. Perhacs barely acknowledges Ray, and McGregor isn’t at the hearing. Judge Garrett never...
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...the summer of 2002, Ray and Bryan wait for a ruling from Judge Garrett. When Lester visits one day, Ray is confident that he’ll be getting out. He says that God...
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Chapter 20
Phoebe and Lester visit Ray after his mom dies, and the guards turn a blind eye when Phoebe...
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Chapter 21
When Lester visits Ray next, they talk about where Ray would go if he ever got out...
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Chapter 23
...after nearly 30 years in jail, he walks out of the building. Ray’s family and Lester greet him tearfully, praising God. After they settle down, everyone gets silent, waiting for Ray...
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Ray climbs into Lester’s car—the first time he’s ridden in the front seat in 30 years. Before they go...
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...home. As he grieves, Ray grows uneasy to be outside without any guards or fences. Lester then takes Ray to a buffet, where Ray is nervous that Lester didn’t pay for...
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When Ray gets to Lester’s house, he feels the anxiety lift a little. He, Lester, and Sia stay up laughing...
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Chapter 24
...travel and talk about his experience. He even goes to Richard Branson’s private island with Lester and plays basketball with George Clooney. He tells his story to anyone who will listen:...
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...without calling someone to tell them what he’s doing; and he doesn’t trust anyone except Lester and Bryan.
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