Intermediate between black and whiteGray is not a color, but an intermediate between black and white. It can be written in several ways, gray, gray, graye or even grai. Just as the word is different from its spelling, it also has various meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, gray is used to describe the dull or cold light of dusk, or a day when the sky is too cloudy (Anonymous). However, the Oxford English Dictionary also defines gray as a way of describing old age, sunless morning light, or a dull, anonymous or faceless person (Anonymous). Often the phrase "shades of gray" is used figuratively to describe the area between right and wrong, right and wrong, or even certainty and uncertainty. Sometimes shades of gray can be representative of hope. In the inspiring 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 of circumstances. Together, the deportees see beyond the grim 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 is this hope that keeps them alive and pushes them to continue even though they have nothing left. The characters who help the Lithuanians see beyond black and white are Kretzky, an NKVD officer, Elena, the mother of the main character Lina, Mrs. Arvydas, the mother of Andrius, and Lina herself. The pervasive theme of shades of gray is discovered even in the strangest places in Ruta Sepetys' harrowing tale. When Lina, her mother and her little brother are taken from their home and taken to a gulag in Siberia, the reader...... middle of diary...... The VD officer did so in helping Lithuanians get food and some necessities. He did not fit the usual NKVD stereotype. Ruta Sepetys, through Elena and Mrs. Arvydas, proves that mothers often do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of their children. But often people find it within themselves to fight for their lives or for what they believe in. This fact is proven through the character of Lina.Works CitedAnonymous. "Gray." September 1, 2011. Oxford English Dictionary. November 29, 2011. Mia, Marirosa. “Between shades of gray.” March 14, 2011. Please do not read this book. December 1, 2011. Sepetys, Ruta. Between shades of gray. Toronto: Puffin Group, 2011.