Fear
The most important theme in the short story is the idea that fear can paralyze us and that fear can push us to do things which we normally would not do. In the short story, the animals were quick to excuse themselves when the Terrible Things came and point out that they were not what the Terrible Things were looking for. The fear of being taken away pushed them to abandon their friends and fellow animals and they pretended not to see when the other animals were taken. A similar thing happened during the Holocaust. In the countries where the Jews and other minorities were persecuted, the population deemed as being safe turned a blind eye to the suffering of those around them. Their actions were not the result of a lack of compassion, but rather the result of the fear that they would be next. Thus, the chose to remain silent while the others suffered and disappeared in a mysterious way.
Coping mechanisms
Another theme analyzed in the story was the ways through which those who remained after the Terrible Things came and took the animals tried to rationalize the events they just witnessed and the ways they tried to save themselves and ignore the well-being of the others. The animals that were left behind lied to themselves that the disappearance of some of the animals was for their own good. The animals began thinking that the animals that were taken away were just a nuisance and that their disappearance made their lives easier. In Germany and in the other countries during the Second World War, those who remained after the Jews were taken away thought in a similar manner. Many saw the Jew as being the reason why they were not wealthy and thus they began believing that their lives will get better because they Jews were gone. In reality, they were only lying to themselves to silence their conscience.
Dire consequences
Another important theme in the story is the idea that everything that happened could have been prevented if the animals have had the courage to stand up and protect the other animals. This idea appears at the end of the story when the rabbits run away in fear, screaming and looking for help. Because the other animals have been taken away, no one was left to help them and they ended up having the same fate as the other animals. However, everything could have been prevented only if the animals would have stood up for one another and tried to protect them.
