Loss
The main theme of the story "At Schindler's" is the theme of loss. The main character's father has gone missing in war, and he and his mother are trying to hold onto the hope that he will come back one day. As the time passes that hope is slowly dying and the son, Jack is having a hard time to accept that his father will never come back. Once he does accept, he is aware that it's the part of growing up. He knows that there will always be a hole inside him that will never be filled up again, but he also feels as if a burden is released from his chest once he faced the truth.
Religion
Amy and her family in the story "Closer" are a strictly religious family who follow the word of the Bible literally. Those who are different from them are sinners, and they even call Sydney a "Sodom". This led them to shun one of their own, Uncle Charles, because he wanted to pursue a different way of life. This story shows the narrow-mindedness of religious belief that even results in cruelty towards loved ones.
War
Theme of war is at the center of "Night Training" and "Sally's Story". In the story "Night Training", the psychological aspect of having to face the war is shown through the character of Dave Kitchener who releases his own fear and frustration on two younger soldiers. He tries to convince them that the most important war that they have to fight is the one inside them. Sally is a "comfort" woman who "comforts" a lot of the soldiers before they depart to war. She is a witness to the emotional distress the young soldiers face.
