Between Shades of Gray

Between Shades of Gray

by

Ruta Sepetys

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Between Shades of Gray makes teaching easy.

Joana Vilkas Character Analysis

Joana is Lina’s elder cousin and best friend. Though Joana is not present in the novel, Lina recalls her blissful summers with her cousin and the letters the two exchanged. Joana is studying to be a doctor, and Lina learns throughout the course of the novel that Kostas was imprisoned—and thus Lina, Jonas, and Elena deported—due to the fact that he helped Joana and her family repatriate to Germany, where Joana’s mother is from. Lina thus feels conflicted towards the memories of Joana, since she was someone who Lina once looked up to but who now seems to be reaping the benefits of Lina’s family’s misery. Joana represents the person Lina wanted to grow up to be, and the person she hopes to become if she survives the labor camps.

Joana Vilkas Quotes in Between Shades of Gray

The Between Shades of Gray quotes below are all either spoken by Joana Vilkas or refer to Joana Vilkas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Morality, Integrity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 73 Quotes

Joana’s freedom had cost me mine.

Related Characters: Lina Vilkas (speaker), Joana Vilkas
Page Number: 291
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Between Shades of Gray LitChart as a printable PDF.
Between Shades of Gray PDF

Joana Vilkas Quotes in Between Shades of Gray

The Between Shades of Gray quotes below are all either spoken by Joana Vilkas or refer to Joana Vilkas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Morality, Integrity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
).
Chapter 73 Quotes

Joana’s freedom had cost me mine.

Related Characters: Lina Vilkas (speaker), Joana Vilkas
Page Number: 291
Explanation and Analysis: