"Between Shades of Gray", a Literary Analysis by Emma Liu

 Between Shades of Gray

Literary Analysis by: Emma Liu

In Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys uses the craft move of symbolism to illustrate the theme that people can always find hope and strength in times of despair. At the novel's beginning, Andrius finds an oval stone full of quartz and other minerals while aboard the train. Despite frequent deaths along the journey, the stone was the first shimmer of hope amongst the characters, as they each felt a sense of empowerment while admiring its raw beauty. Throughout the progression of the story, the stone is also constantly shared around by the characters during hardship and oppression. Used as a reminder of the will to survive, the stone is a strong symbol in the book. The text states, “I [Lina] laid compresses on his forehead. I tucked the stone from Andrius under his [Jonas] hand and told him that the sparkles would heal him” (Sepetys 193). Lina gives her younger brother Jonas the stone while he is ill, believing that he can derive comfort and survival from the shiny minerals within it. In both Lina and Jonas’s time of unthinkable distress, the stone is used by Lina to symbolize her hope that Jonas can recover, and the strength she sends him along the way.

Furthermore, the author states, “For the first time in months, I cried… Andrius turned. His eyes found mine. ‘I’ll see you,’ he said… ‘Look at me,’ whispered Andrius, moving close… The stone. Andrius had slipped it into my pocket” (Sepetys 248). Upon leaving for another camp near the Arctic Circle, Lina experiences a moment of utter despair as she faces her departure and separation from those close to her. As she breaks down, Andrius slips the stone into her pocket, symbolizing his passing of strength and hope to her, despite their physical distance away from one another. This is especially significant for Lina, as it is kept by her side while she endures harsh weather and other obstacles at the new camp. During her times of desperation, Lina often reaches for the stone, which further solidifies the hope and strength it represents for not only Jonas but her and all the characters. To conclude, through the symbolism of the stone, Ruta Sepetys depicts a strong theme of the everlasting perseverance of hope and strength people can find in the darkest of times.