Hate
Perhaps the most important theme in the novel is hate. In the context of the novel and World War II, more generally, hate is depicted as being systemic and institutionalized by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime against the Jews and other marginalized groups. This state-sponsored hatred, which was called the "Final Solution," manifested in a number of ways. However, the hate was typified by Auschwitz (and other concentration camps), which caused the deaths of millions of Jewish people. Amis' novel shows how this kind of hate can be bureaucratized and how murdering people can be turned into a routine, administrative task in which doing one's duty is prioritized over being a human. And hate removes some of humanity's most important aspects—namely, kindness and compassion, both of which the Nazis lacked.
Complicity to genocide
Through Szmul, the Jewish Sonderkommando, Amis explores the theme of complicity in the novel (and in the Holocaust). Sonderkommandos were prisoners who voluntarily helped the Nazis complete their murderous plans in concentration camps like Auschwitz. Szmul is a complex character; in order to survive, he jumps into bed with the Nazis but feels guilty and has his moral foundation shaken. His character embodies the gray areas of morality in an environment where one choice can make the difference between survival and death. Ultimately, even though people like Szmul were complicit in the Holocaust, they were still complex people who often didn't like their role.
Memory
Memory is a crucial theme in The Zone of Interest, which is set against the backdrop of one of the worst events in human history. Through the three distinct perspectives he explores in the novel, Amis explores the ways that different people deal with their memories: how some cling to them, how some are haunted by them, and how others try to suppress or rewrite them. For instance, the commandant's wife suppressed her memory. When confronted by the Nazi officer who lusted after her when they worked at Auschwitz together, she became petrified and told him that she didn't want to confront her memories of that time because they were too painful. Many people who lived through the Holocaust had similar reactions; few wanted to speak of the atrocities they witnessed. However, many did speak out, thereby ensuring that people "never forget" what happened because of racism and hatred.
