Intermediate between black and white Gray is not a color, but an intermediate between black and white. It can be written in many ways, from grey, grey, graye or even gray. Just as the word is different from how it is written, it also has various meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, gray is used to describe the dull or cold light of twilight, or a day when the sky is too cloudy (Anonymous). However, the Oxford English Dictionary also defines gray as a way to describe old age, the sunless light of morning, or even a dull, anonymous, or faceless person (Anonymous). Often the phrase “shades of grey” is used figuratively to represent the area between right and wrong, good and bad, or even certainty and uncertainty. Sometimes, shades of gray can be representative of hope. In the thought-provoking novel, Between Shades of Grey, set during the Lithuanian deportation by the Soviets, Ruta Sepetys examines the survival of hope in humans when subjected to the worst circumstances. Together, the deportees see beyond the sad reality of their situation and help each other through difficult times. Together, they cling to the hope of one day returning home and living again. It's that hope that keeps them alive and pushes them to move forward when they have nothing left. The characters who help Lithuanians see beyond black and white are Kretzky, an NKVD officer, Elena, the protagonist Lina's mother, Mrs. Arvydas, Andrius' mother, and Lina herself. The ever-present theme of shades of gray is discovered even in the most peculiar places of Ruta Sepetys' harrowing narrative. When Lina, her mother and her little brother are taken from home and taken to a gulag in Siberia, the reader... middle of paper... VD officer did so by helping the Lithuanians get food and some necessities . He did not fit the usual NKVD stereotype. Ruta Sepetys, through Elena and Mrs. Arvydas, demonstrates that mothers often do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of their children. But often people find within themselves the will to fight for their lives or for what they believe in. This fact is demonstrated by Lina's character. Anonymous works cited. "Grey." 1 September 2011. Oxford English Dictionary. November 29, 2011 .Mia, Marirosa. "Between shades of grey." March 14, 2011. Please do not read this book. 1 December 2011 .Sepetys, Ruta. Between shades of grey. Toronto: Puffin Group, 2011.