The main theme of between shades of gray, and the biggest lesson Lina must learn, is that even in the face of great suffering, brutality, and hate, love is the better choice. Sepetys is very deliberate in her framing of love as a choice one makes.
Between Shades of Gray is partly based upon the stories Sepetys heard from survivors of Soviet repressions in the Baltic states during a visit to her relatives in Lithuania. Sepetys decided she needed to write a fiction novel rather than a non-fiction volume as a way of making it easier for survivors to talk to her.
What does gray symbolize in Between Shades of Gray?
The color gray
“Shades of gray” also refers to the grayness of the lives of those who have been deported. Lina's father's face is “gray” (60) the last time she sees him and the gray has “crept beneath [their] skin” (192), their food is gray, their homes are gray, their clothes are gray, and the sky is gray.
What is the main problem in Between Shades of Gray?
Answer and Explanation: The conflict in Between Shades of Gray is that of the individual versus society. The above is because, in the story, the Soviet Union is about to instruct the communist government to reduce dissent in the Baltic countries annexed during the war of the time.
Elena grows weak and dies, leaving Lina to care for Jonas. A Soviet doctor arrives at their camp just in time to save the ailing boy. The story ends with Lina feeling some sense of hope because she and Jonas have survived the winter. The epilogue indicates that Andrius and Lina reunite and marry after the war.
Language: Strong Language,Sexual Content: Strong Sexual Content/Themes,Violence: Graphic Descriptions,Violence: Mild Violence. While forced to work on a Soviet farm, Lina draws a record of camp life, and hopes that her father, separated from the family, is still alive.
What is the irony in the book Between Shades of Gray?
Irony: It is irony that the NKVD officers were taking Jonas away as if he had done something wrong, but he wouldn't even hurt a bug and didn't deserve to be taken away.
What does the handkerchief symbolize in Between Shades of Gray?
The handkerchief also symbolizes the fight within hardships and not giving up. Lina's art: Her powerful artwork symbolizes all of the built up anger she has from the NKVD killing all of these innocent people that surround her.
It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart. I kept waiting for something more in this book.
What did Jonas get sick with in Between Shades of Gray?
The older man who told the group he was a lawyer comes to the shack and announces that Jonas has scurvy and needs vitamins. Elena rushes out of the shack to beg the other deportees for food for Jonas. Andrius comes to the shack and brings him a can of tomatoes and forces him to eat it.
What is the loss of innocence in Between Shades of Gray?
The loss of innocence is the process of losing one's clueless nature due to the situations and circumstances they experience. In Ruta Sepetys Between Shades of Gray the loss of innocence is something that the characters undergo, specifically Lina, the main protagonist, and the other prisoners taken by the NKVD.
Is Between Shades of Gray a sequel to Salt to the Sea?
Are the books Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea connected or related? Ruta Sepetys Hi Heyna! The books are not sequential but they do overlap as Joana is Lina's cousin. Thank you for asking!
Much like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Book Thief, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a work of historical fiction that outlines the government-backed tragedies of the World War II era.
A young girl who is deported along with her family. Janina loses her doll, and often pretends that the doll's ghost speaks to her. She, like Jonas, develops scurvy and is only saved at the very last moment by Dr. Samodurov's intervention.
What time period is Between Shades of Gray set in?
Between Shades of Gray takes place in 1941, when Lina Vilkaite and her family are arrested by Soviet agents and taken to a Siberian labour camp. This was the experience of many Lithuanians, as well as people in other Baltic and Soviet states in the mid-20th century under Stalin.
Why are there flashbacks in between shades of gray?
The author, Ruta Sepetys, decided flashbacks were an excellent way to expose Lina's past while keeping the plot moving forward, revealing her personality in the process. Flashbacks also give hope to the characters and the reader while Lina's dark tale continues.
What happened in chapter 32 of between shades of gray?
Jonas is separated from Elena and Lina for work. Lina and Elena are then brought to a clearing in the woods and told to dig a pit, using rusty hand shovels. Elena theorizes that she is being punished for refusing to spy for the NKVD.
Firstly ,Elena Vilkas. A selfless, hardworking, fearless mother who installed strength and determination to those around her who may not have survived without. Also known for her unselfishness which she exhibited in many situations of the novel.
What is Between Shades of Gray about quick summary?
1941 – Fifteen-year-old Lina Vilkas is arrested by the Soviet secret police and deported to Siberia with her mother and younger brother. Lina fights for her life, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by burying her complete story in a jar on Lithuanian soil.
What happens to Andrius in Between Shades of Gray?
Andrius takes Jonas under his wing, offering protection and guidance that comforts Lina and her mother. Though Andrius and Lina are separated after Lina and her family are moved from the first camp, Lina's letter in the epilogue shows that the two survived, reconnected, and eventually married.
Do Lina and Andrius kiss in Between Shades of Gray?
Lina gives Andrius her secret drawings and asks him to keep them safe. He urges her to keep drawing. They kiss, and Andrius asks Lina if she has learned what “krasivaya” means yet.
What happened in chapter 19 in Between Shades of Gray?
Jonas returns from getting the buckets, and learns that the baby has died. Distraught, he marks the death of the child and beats the ground in anger. Andrius tells Lina to let him do it so as to get used to the constant deaths, since they will not stop anytime soon.
