Between Shades of Gray

The train eventually arrives at the Vilnius, Lithuania station, which reminds Lina of when her teacher invited her to apply for a prestigious art program, a summer study program with “some of the most talented artists in northern Europe” (79). At Vilnius, they split the train, and the men in the cars being separated from them begin singing the Lithuanian national anthem, which makes Lina weep.

As she wipes her tears on a handkerchief, she realizes that she can use it to draw messages to her father that will be hidden when the handkerchief is folded. As she is planning her handkerchief drawing, she overhears the women talking about Ona and her baby, who is still unable to nurse. The train journey continues for days, stopping once a day to remove dead bodies from the cars and deliver gray slop to the prisoners. The prisoners take turns to leave the car to get the food, and when it is Lina’s turn, it is raining. She sees the body of a child being thrown into the mud and watches the child’s mother being beaten for trying to follow her child. She looks back at her own car and stands still, remembering her father’s face through the toilet hole and thinks about running away.