The Power of Stories Theme Analysis

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 his own story as a powerful tool to expose the problems with the death penalty and the criminal justice system. Using these different avenues, Ray highlights the power of stories both as a means of escape and as a means of confronting harsh realities and philosophical ideas.

Ray plays out fantastical stories in his mind as a way of coping with difficult realities in his life. Even before Ray goes to Holman Prison, he uses his imagination to escape the coal mine in which he works. In his head, he drives through Texas and New Mexico, eats Maine lobster, or dances with beautiful women in Honduras and Panama. He writes, “In my mind, I would travel anywhere but into that black, dark pit,” illustrating how these imaginings enable him to avoid his reality. Ray revives his fantasies in prison: he imagines that he is traveling the world or marrying celebrities like Halle Berry and Sandra Bullock. He thinks, “Someday I was going to walk out of here, but until then, I was going to use my mind to travel the world. I had so many places to go, and people to see, and things to learn.” Telling himself stories becomes a way to feel like he is living his life more fully, even while he is stuck in the monotony and torment of prison. Ray explicitly states that these fantasies help him cope with his harsh reality. One Wednesday, he meets with the Queen of England in his mind. When he shakes off this dream, he realizes that it is actually Friday—he has skipped over Thursday entirely. He realizes that his mind is a third way to escape the prison (in addition to dying or walking free), helping him pass the time and avoid dwelling on his difficult situation.

Ray starts a book club in prison precisely because he recognizes how valuable stories could be for other inmates as well—both as a means of escape and of helping people confront important issues in their lives and the world more broadly. Ray approaches the prison warden, Charlie Jones, and asks to hold a book club (books other than the Bible aren’t allowed in the prison). He tells Jones that it will help keep peace in the prison, but in reality, Ray knows that “If the guys had books, they could travel the world. They would get smarter and freer.” Thus, books would provide his friends with a respite from death row. Ray even likens the books to his own fantasies. When they start reading books, Ray explains, “We were transported, and just as I could travel the world and have tea with the Queen of England, I watched these men be transported in their minds for a small chunk of time.” Just as it was invaluable for him, this transportation allows the men to have something to focus on other than their impending deaths. Even inmates outside of Ray’s seven-person book club start to read the books that are passed around. They read books like Go Tell It On the Mountain, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin—all of which deal with racism in the American South. Ray writes that guys would often just yell from cell to cell, discussing politics, violence, relationships. They appreciate “a chance to talk their way through the big ideas,” illustrating that stories aren’t just valued for their escapism but also as a way to affect people’s ideas and initiate discussions about important problems.

Ray also recognizes the power of his own story in publishing The Sun Does Shine, knowing that his memoir can help inform people about the criminal justice system and the death penalty. During the book club, Ray promises the other men that when he gets out, he will talk about his time in prison. He assures them, “I’m going to tell my story, and I’m going to tell your story. Hell, maybe I will even write a book and tell it like that.” Understanding how powerful the books in his book club are, Ray realizes that he can make that same kind of impact in telling his own story. After Ray gets out of prison, he does just that: he travels the country, telling his story to “anyone who will listen.” He realizes that he is a voice for the men who still sit on death row. Stories were a powerful means of escape from death row for Ray and his fellow inmates—and now, he wants to use his own powerful story to help end the death penalty.