Between the Shades of Gray BY: RUTA SEPETYS
Setting
Background! As Joseph Stalin was taking control of Eastern Europe, many Lithuanians were being deported.! The NKDV is the militarized police department in charge of the deportation of Lithuanians.! Lithuanians were taken to labor camps and were told they would be freed in they worked hard enough.
Author s inspiration! Between Shades of Gray is partly based on the stories Sepetys heard from survivors of the Lithuanian deportation in 1941 during a visit to relatives in Eastern Europe.
Ruta Sepetys- Author Video
Characters Lina Vilkas - Protagonist - Headstrong, stubborn, 15 year old girl - Was accepted into art school before the deportation - Loves to write letters to her cousin, Joana, and drawing in her sketchbook - Keeps her hope alive by living in her memories (flashback)
Characters! Elena Vilkas - Lina and Jonas's mother - Married to Kostas Vilkas - Goes out of her way to help everybody
Characters! Jonas Vilkas - Lina's ten-year old brother
Characters! Andruis Azkyas - 17 year-old - Stays close to his mother
! Mrs. Azkyas - Andruis s mother - Pretty woman who was used by the NKDV
Characters! Mr. Stalas - Bald, bitter-hearted man - Jumps off the back of the truck on the first day and breaks his leg
Characters! Mrs. Rimas - Librarian - Deported by NKDV
Characters! Mrs. Gryas - School teacher who is also deported
Characters! Kostas Vilkas - Jonas and Lina s father - Active politically before they were deported
Characters! Alexandras Lukas - Gray-haired man - Used to be a lawyer before deportation - Known as the man who winds his watch
Characters! Ulyushka - small, old Altaian woman. - Lina and her family s roommate
Characters! Nickolai Kretsky - NKDV officer
Characters! Ona - Gave birth minutes before being deported
Essential Vocabulary! Tone: The way the story is told! What the heck are you doing? You are going to spread the germ like wildfire! " More informal/like a conversation! I want to draw the attention of the concerned authorities toward damage caused by an epidemic. If steps were not taken to curb it, it will further injure our community " More formal/ like from a book or important person
Essential Vocabulary! Point of View: Who is telling the story?! The angle of thinking about things, shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation.! First person: involves the use of either of the two pronouns I and we. " Example: I felt like I was getting drowned with shame and disgrace.! Third person: uses pronouns like he, she, it, they or a name. " Example: Mr. Stewart is a principled man. He acts by the book and never lets you deceive him easily.
Vocabulary! The following words can be found in Between Shades of Gray.
Ivory (pg 3)! Sentence from the book! I opened a new ivory writing tablet and a case of pens! What do you think the word means?
Ivory! Definition! 1. a creamy-white color.! 2. White substance from animal tusks (elephants, walrus)
Derogatory (pg 7)! Sentence from the book! Papa yelled at me and told me to never, ever say anything derogatory about the Soviets.! What do you think the word means?
Derogatory (pg 7)! Definition! showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
Divert (pg 11)! Sentence from the book! I have to use the bathroom, I announced trying to divert attention away from my mother and the coat.! What do you think the word means?
Divert (pg 11)! Definition! distract (someone or their attention) from something.
Mangled (pg 14)! Sentence from the book! One of his legs looked mangled.! What do you think the word means?
Mangled! Definition! severely mutilate, disfigure, or damage by cutting, tearing, or crushing.
Palpable (pg 25)! Sentence from the book! The chaos was palpable. Families were being separated. Children screamed and mothers pleaded.! What do you think the word means?
Palpable (pg 25)! Definition! Able to be touched or felt
Approximately (pg 31)! Sentence from the book! At the end of the car, large planks of wood approximately six feet deep had been installed as shelves.! What do you think the word means?
Approximately! Definition! Of about the same quantity or quality
Mesmerized (pg 38)! Sentence from the book! Even the two daughters left their grouchy mother and sat mesmerized by the fantastic tales.! What do you think the word means?
Mesmerized! Definition! To hold the attention of someone or something
Horizon (pg 40)! Sentence from the book! The sun had just appeared on the horizon.! What do you think the word means?
horizon! Definition! The line at which the sky and land appear to meet
Ashen (pg 47)! Sentence from the book! Mother s face was ashen. She did a poor job of hiding her fear this time.! What do you think the word means?
ashen! Definition! Color of pale ash! Pale with shock, fear, or illness
Suspended (pg 54)! Sentence from the book! I grabbed onto the undercarriage of the train and lifted my legs up, suspended under the car.! What do you think the word means?
suspended! Definition! Hang (something) from somewhere
Eerie (pg 57)! Sentence from the book! The station looked eerie, desolate, frozen with only remnants of the chaos that had taken place.! What do you think the word means?
eerie! Definition! Strange and frightening
Intermittent (pg 60)! Sentence from the book! Intermittent shots rang out in the distance.! What do you think the word means?
Intermittent! Definition! Occurring at irregular times, not continuous or steady
puncture! Sentence from the book! The sun reflected off the dagger-shaped blades. They could puncture us within a fraction of a second.! What do you think the word means?
puncture! Definition! To make a hole in something
Lunged! Sentence from the book! We were given two buckets of slop and water. The children lunged for it.! What do you think the word means?
lunged! Definition! A sudden thrust forward of the body
atrophied! Sentence from the book! We must stretch before sitting down, sweetheart, said Mother. Our muscles have surely atrophied these past weeks.! What do you think the word means?
atrophied! Definition! 1. Body tissue wasting away from little/no use! 2. Decrease in effectiveness because of little use
prolonged! Sentence from the book! I felt awkward under his prolonged gaze.! What do you think the word means?
prolonged! Definition! Continuing for a long time
propelled! Sentence from the book! My drawing stick rolled away, propelled by the wind and rain.! What do you think the word means?
propelled! Definition! Caused to move foreword
blossomed! Sentence from the book! A wide bruise blossomed across her cheek.! What do you think the word means?
blossomed! Definition! 1. To grow in a healthy way.! 2. When a tree/bush sprouts flowers
hysterical! Sentence from the book! Calm yourselves, he said slowly. We do no good by becoming hysterical.! What do you think the word means?
hysterical! Definition! Extreme emotion
obediently! Sentence from the book! We sat obediently, like schoolchildren in front of the principal.! What do you think the word means?
obediently! Definition! Willing to obey
muffle! Sentence from the book! Mmm, hmm, I said, trying to muffle my tears.! What do you think the word means?
! Definition! Wrapped or covered
bolster! Sentence from the book! She would chat with the person and work next to them in the field, trying to bolster their spirit.! What do you think the word means?
bolster! Definition! To support or strengthen/ prop up
obscene! Sentence from the book! The other NKVD raised his eyebrows and made obscene gestures with his fingers before laughing and walking away.! What do you think the word means?
obscene! Definition! Offensive or disgusting
censored! Sentence from the book! But she said the letters were cryptic and arrived with markings.! Of course they did, they re censored.! What do you think the word means?
censored! Definition! To delete parts of something