Events and Time Line
When were the Vilkas taken?
At night, June 14, 1941
What did Kostas Vilkas (Lina and Jonas's father) do for a living?
Professor of a university
Who is Jonas?
Lina's younger brother
Describe the conditions on the train during deportation.
Extreme overcrowding, lack of food, poor hygiene, and brutal guards
How do Lina's mother and brother treat her during the crisis?
They remain close and supportive despite the horrific circumstances, with Lina's mother protecting her children
What did Lina's mother make her promise?
To ignore anyone who may try to help them
Who is the young boy around Lina's age?
Andras Arvydas
Why did Lina's mother break all her beautiful things?
Because she loved them so much and she didn't want the NKVD to enjoy them.
How does Lina cope with her situation in the graphic novel?
She creates drawings and sketches on whatever paper she can find, documenting her experience
What promise does Lina make to her father?
To remember him and stay connected to him using her art
What was the purpose of the journalist's flashback visit in Chapter 5?
To show the reader that times were tense and people had to be careful about what they said
Why did they stop at the hospital?
To wait for a lady to have a baby
What crosses Lina's mind when she was supposed to get the buckets of water for their train car?
Running
What tragic event deeply impacts Lina and her family?
Lina's father is separated from the family, and they don't know what happened to him
What role does Lina play in helping her family?
She documents their experience through drawings, maintains hope, and supports her mother and brother emotionally
Where does the truck stop once it gets moving again?
The train depot in the countryside
Name two characters Lina meets during the deportation.
Any including: the bald man, Andras Arvydas, Ona, etc
Lina's father hints at how she can stay in touch with him by...
Saying, "I'll know it's you... just like you know Munch."
At the end of Section 1 of the graphic novel, where are Lina and her family taken, and what is their new assignment?
They are taken to a remote farm where they must work the land and do hard labor
Why does Mrs. Arvydau tell the Soviet's her son is "feeble minded"?
To keep from being separated from him.
What is Lina's father's hint for staying in touch with her?
Saying, "I'll know it's you... just like you know Munch."
What does Lina's mother do to protect her family's valuables?
She sews silverware and jewelry into the lining of her coat
Name three events that foreshadowed the Vilkas's arrest.
Family photos burned in the fireplace, Mother sewing silverware and jewelry into her coat lining, and Papa not returning from work
What two tragic events happen during the trip form Lithuania to the farm?
Ona's baby dies and the Soviets kill Ona
How does Lina's mother's relationship with her change when they are forced onto the truck and train?
Lina's mother becomes more protective and works harder to keep her children safe; she makes promises to Lina about how to survive and stay alive