It follows the Stalinist repressions of the mid-20th century and follows the life of Lina as she is deported from her native Lithuania with her mother and younger brother, and the journey they take to a labor camp in
Siberia
.
What is the time period in Between Shades of Gray?
1941
– Fifteen-year-old Lina Vilkas is arrested by the Soviet secret police and deported to Siberia with her mother and younger brother.
Where was the first labor camp in Between Shades of Gray?
After 264 days working at the Aftai Labor Camp, some of the deportees are loaded up onto another train and make the long trek, 134 days, to create a labor camp in
Trofimovsk, Siberia
. Lina must say good-bye to Andrius, who tells her it is not good-bye, he will find her some day.
Where are the NKVD taking Lina and her family?
They are then separated, and Lina, Jonas, and Elena, along with the rest of their train car, end up in
Siberia
, where the NKVD attempt to sell them to local villagers as slaves.
How old is Elena vilkas in Between Shades of Gray?
Lina Vilkas is
fifteen years old
when she and her family are deported from their comfortable middle class home in Lithuania in 1941.
Is Between Shades of Gray a true story?
Based on the true stories of Baltic citizens
, Between Shades of Gray is a detailed, riveting, and thought-provoking story of the terrors that the Baltic people faced during WWII under Stalin. In 1939, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and annexed them as part of the USSR.
What does NKVD stand for in Between Shades of Gray?
Ruta Sepetys’s stunning debut novel begins on June 14, 1941, as the NKVD (
the Soviet secret police
) pound on the door of the Vilkas family’s home.
What happened to Jonas in Between Shades of Gray?
Despite his emotional strength, the physical difficulties of the camps take their toll on his young body, and he nearly succumbs to scurvy twice.
He is ultimately saved by the timely intervention of Dr. Samodurov
.
How did Lina change in Between Shades of Gray?
Throughout the course of Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray, Lina changes
from a naive and artistic child to a strong-willed survivor
.
Why is it called Between Shades of Gray?
Inspiration and basis. 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
.
Was ashes in the snow a true story?
Ashes in the Snow is
based on the 2011 novel Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, a Lithuanian-American writer who based it on the true story of Irena Spakauskiene
, a 13-year-old Lithuanian girl who was deported from Lithuania to Siberia in 1941.
What does Mrs Rimas do when Elena dies?
Jonas and Lina cry over their mother’s dead body, while Mrs. Rimas
recites a prayer
. The other deportees comfort the family, saying everything they loved about Elena. They all promise to bury her body.
How did Lina hide herself when the officers came by?
Ch 14-3: How did Lina hide herself when the officers came by?
Lina hid in a pit with Andrius
. Ch 14-4: Why did the guards leave? Because they heard dogs barking.
How did ashes in the snow end?
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.
What does Janina’s mother do to her?
– Janina’s mother tried to
strangle her daughter
so she wouldn’t have live through this.
What was the bald man’s name in Between Shades of Gray?
Better known to Lina as “the bald man,”
Mr. Stalas
is a postman who is placed in the same train car as the Vilkases when they are deported. He is an extremely pessimistic person, and throws himself from the train car in an attempt to commit suicide.
Why is Elena getting weak and confused?
Ultimately, Elena perishes
due to her own generosity
—during the polar winter in Siberia, she gives away most of her bread rations, leading to physical weakness, illness, and her untimely death.
Who is Mrs Arvydas in Between Shades of Gray?
Andrius’ mother
is the attractive wife of a Lithuanian officer who is believed to be dead. She and her son are extremely protective of each other, and Mrs. Arvydas agrees to sleep with NKVD officers so that they do not kill Andrius.
Is Salt to the Sea connected to between shades of GREY?
In many ways,
“Salt to the Sea” is a follow-up to her best-known book, “Between Shades of Gray,”
which follows a Lithuanian family as they’re shipped off to Siberian death camps by the Soviet Union.
What did Andrius give Lina?
Andrius gives
the stone
to Lina, who derives strength from a beautiful object given to her by someone she admires. Lina in turn passes it to Jonas for comfort when he is ill. When he recovers, Jonas gives it back to Andrius, declaring it a lucky object.
Who is the antagonist in Between Shades of Gray?
Antagonist:
Joseph Stalin
is most important to the NKVD, because they respect him.
Is Between Shades of Gray a movie?
After years of anticipation,
the film adaptation of Ruta Sepetys’ critically acclaimed historical novel Between Shades of Gray (2011) is opening January 11th
. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival last September under the title Ashes in the Snow, and this weekend marks its wide release.
What is Luna’s father’s name in Between Shades of Gray?
Kostas is Lina and Jonas’ father, and a professor at the local university. Though he is only seen in one episode throughout the novel, Lina often reminisces of good times she had with her father, who was loving and supportive of her artistic talents.
