"Foolish woman. Don’t you realize this is just the beginning? We have a chance now to die with dignity." ( 16 )Lithuanian's were taken from their homes with no explanation, treated poorly, and accused of being bad people. Through their journey from Lithuania to Siberia where they are starved and put to work in working camps. they have to figure out a way to always believe in themselves, and not give into what the Soviet's say is what the author tries showing the reader with harsh settings like trains, camps, and an island. Ruta Sepetys illustrates the theme will to survive in the novel Between Shades Of Gray through her use of characters, settings, and figurative language.
In the novel Between Shades Of Gray the author uses characters to
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“We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean, I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we’d get a little closer.”(307) this shows that when everyone works together then anything can be accomplished, even when harsh situations come across. This to me proves that all the Lithuanian’s that remained alive wanted to survive, knowing they all had the same desire they put everything they had in themselves together to be able to do so with much more proficiency. Ruta further illustrates the theme will to survive in the use of simile. Ellena Lina’s mother did a wonderful job of not wanting to give up and encouraging the rest of them to not do so either, instead she tried to get everyone together to cooperate with one another. “Hope like oxygen, is what kept her going.”(183). This quote shows how Ellena wanted nothing more then to see her kids and the rest of the deportees survive, she was very hopeful through out all the things they were put through. Ellena shows lithuanian’s that they should not give the NKVD’s a single ounce of satisfaction of seeing them die therefore developing a will to