The Sun Does Shine Themes

The Sun Does Shine, Anthony Ray Hinton’s memoir, covers his 30 years in prison—28 of which were on Alabama’s death row—for crimes he did not commit, before he was finally released from prison. One of Ray’s primary aims in the book is to expose discrimination within America’s criminal justice system: many of the people who are instrumental in Ray’s arrest and trial are openly biased against him because he is Black, and his…

Most of Anthony Ray Hinton’s life on death row is out of his control: what he eats, when he sleeps, and the timeline for his court appeals are all determined by other people. But he repeatedly emphasizes that one thing is within his control: his outlook. For his first three years in prison, Ray feels helpless and desolate because he was wrongly convicted—as a result, he doesn’t engage with anyone, loses faith in God…

Anthony Ray Hinton and the other death row inmates experience immense physical and mental suffering in Alabama’s Holman State Prison. The inmates, who lose years of their lives in prison, frequently feel isolated and tormented as they dread their imminent executions and endure abuse from the guards. In the midst of this loneliness and suffering, Ray recognizes the value of community both within and outside of the prison. Ray relies on people in his life—like…

Stories are a crucial aspect of Anthony Ray Hinton’s life as a wrongfully convicted inmate on death row. In his mind, Ray travels to different places and fantasizes about various celebrities as a way to escape the grim environment of Alabama’s Holman State Prison. He also begins a book club in the prison to help other inmates lose themselves in a story for a little while. And of course, in his memoir, Ray uses…