Ways to Make Sunshine

Raymond “Ray” Hart is Ryan’s older brother. Ray’s name means “protector,” and while Ray annoys Ryan at times, he does look out for his sister. Ray grows over the course of the text. Like Ryan, the Harts expect Ray to be the person they named him to be, and to live up to his name: “‘Be who we named you to be,’ they tell him whenever he is pulling my ponytail or grabbing food off my plate when I’m not looking” (5).Throughout the text, Ray grows into his name, becomes less antagonistic toward Ryan, and becomes more of the protector that his sister needs him to be.

At the beginning of the text, Ray appears to antagonize Ryan more than he helps her. When they move into the new house and Ryan finds the canister in her bedroom closet, Ray tries to convince her that the canister is haunted. Their first night in the house, Ray plays a trick on Ryan, tapping on her all and pretending to be a ghost: “I scream and pull the covers over my head. Then I hear loud laughter, and Ray’s voice repeating what I said, mimicking me like a parakeet: I promise to put them back. I promise. He turns the light on and off, making it flicker like we’re in a scary movie” (39). This teasing upsets Ryan and puts a strain on their relationship. Ryan does not feel that she can trust Ray, and she assumes that Ray “doesn’t realize I can do and be anything” (5). Throughout the text, Ray does prove that he believes in his sister, and supports her.

When Ryan admits that she does not think she has any talent to perform at the talent show, Ray proves that he does believe in Ryan. Ray at once begins brainstorming acts that Ryan could do: “You’re good at lots of things. It’s just that the things you’re good at aren’t so easy to put on a stage [...] You’re good at helping and being nice to people and sharing–even with me when I’m getting on your nerves” (134). This quote illustrates that Ray understands that his teasing affects Ryan, and that he acknowledges that she treats him kindly even when he bothers her. Ray owns up to his actions and admits that he understands his teasing affects her, while also showing that he believes in Ryan’s abilities and that she has talents “that matters most” (134).

Mrs. Hart is Ryan and Ray’s mother. Mrs. Hart supports her children and loves them unconditionally. She understands that Ryan struggles with the changes happening in her life, and always takes care to support Ryan. When Ryan is obviously upset about the news that the family will be moving, Mrs. Hart affirms her: “It’s okay to be sad. Change is scary” (14). Mrs. Hart creates space for Ryan to sit with her emotions and process them, while affirming that change is difficult.

Mrs. Hart again creates space for Ryan to make mistakes and learn from them without judgment when Ryan struggles to give her Easter speech, eventually running out of the church. When Mrs. Hart finds Ryan in her Sunday school classroom, Ryan admits that she does not feel like a leader; she feels that her inability to successfully give her speech makes her “not a good leader at all” (68). Mrs. Hart expands the definition of what it means to be a leader for her daughter, as well as again affirming her: “Yes, it is. As long as you tried. That’s all I ask of you is that you try. you have nothing to be ashamed of. Next time, you’ll try again and maybe you’ll get through the whole thing [...] No holding your head down” (68). She tells her not only that it is okay to fail sometimes, but that she should not be ashamed or afraid of making mistakes. She should hold her head high and try again, which is all Mrs. Hart can ask of her regardless of the outcome.

While she is unconditionally supportive of Ryan, she also holds her to a high standard and is not afraid to push Ryan to be her best. Mrs. Hart instructs Ryan not to get her hair wet at the birthday party. When she finds that Ryan has disobeyed her, she is clearly disappointed, however she offers Ryan an important reminder once Ryan explains the whole story: “Ryan, you don’t ever have to prove yourself. I want you to be your best for you, not to show off. You understand?” (91). This quote shows that Mrs. Hart is both supportive of Ryan as well as willing to hold her to a higher standard. Mrs. Hart tells Ryan that she never has to prove herself, that she is good enough as she is, but also that she needs to believe that and act accordingly. This aligns with the reminder that Mrs. Hart tells Ryan about her ancestors: that “their strength is running through my veins” (4). Along with her husband, Mrs. Hart creates an environment that is warm, supportive, and judgment-free for Ryan to grow into the person she wants to become.

Like his wife, Mr. Hart is a supportive parent who wants the best for his children, while holding them to a high standard. Mr. Hart always wants his children to feel powerful, which is why he gives them meaningful names, as well as telling Ryan: “Our people come from royalty, that my ancestors lived in Africa and were kings and queens and inventors and hard workers” (4). By invoking their family history and the power of their ancestors, Mr. Hart creates a narrative for Ryan to cling to in times of insecurity, and an identity to derive strength from when hers wavers.

Mr. Hart stands strong in the face of struggles in the text, creating a stable environment even with strained circumstances. Like the ancestors he invokes, Mr. Hart is a diligent worker who strives to do the best he can for his family, even when he loses his job of fifteen years at the local post office. His new job requires him to work nights, which causes the family to move to a smaller house. Ryan is upset to learn about the move but is most upset about the fact that this change will prevent her father from taking Ryan and Ray to school each morning. She reacts to the news: “I really like Dad driving us to school, how he lets us pick the song we want to hear and how we sing loud the whole ride, how he kisses both of us on the forehead–even ray–before we go inside, how he tells us “Be who we named you to be” as we get out of the car” (15). Even though her family is going through challenging financial times and many changes, it speaks to Mr. Hart’s strength of character that Ryan is most upset about losing the time they have together in the morning.

Similar to Mrs. Hart, Mr. Hart wants Ryan and Ray to live up to their names, to “Be who we named you to be” (4-5), but also to set reasonable expectations for themselves, and to know that it is okay to make mistakes. When Ryan burns dinner one night, she is disappointed in herself. Mr. Hart intervenes, telling her: “Ryan, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re learning. No one expects you to get it right every time” (51-52). His reaction enables Ryan to look past her mistake and to even make the best of a challenging situation. When the pizza arrives, Ryan adds some of the rosemary from her ruined meal to her pizza slice, which she delights in finding tastes “so good” (52). If Mr. Hart had not affirmed that it is okay for Ryan to make mistakes, she would not have felt it was okay to take the risk of adding the rosemary to her pizza.

The rosemary on her pizza slice is a small example, but one that reverberates later on when Ryan volunteers to MC the talent show despite her fear of public speaking. Remembering the lessons from both her parents that it is okay to make mistakes so long as she tries, Ryan successfully narrates the talent show. “Dad is here, even though he should be sleeping now. Dad is here and he already looks proud of me even though I haven’t even opened my mouth” (166). Seeing her dad in the audience, giving up sleep in order to be there for his daughter, gives Ryan the encouragement she needs in order to speak in front of the audience and lead the talent show as the announcer.