The Contrast between Reality and Appearance in Between Shades of Gray

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Dialogue and characterization are effectively employed by Ruta Sepetys to create a forced atmosphere where choices are limited. Told from the perspective of an adolescent girl, Lina, the excerpt portrays a character who combats between appearance and her own ‘reality’ through her artistic expression. Her drawings are “very realistic” because she draws them based on her view of the world (Sepetys). In the ‘real world’, however, they appear to be rather unflattering and therefore, although she “longs to draw” it as she sees, she is forced to conform (Sepetys). In Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys, through the utilization of dialogue, imagery and characterization, conveys the contrast between reality and appearance in the protagonists’ artistic interpretations in order to convey the contextual setting of the novel. Through the dialogue, the contextual setting of the novel is revealed through the forceful nature of the situation. The protagonist, Lina, would rather “break [her] hands” then have to draw an image of a man who in her imagination did not appear extremely flattering (Sepet...

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