Ignorance and recognition are two different ideas that appear to have little connection, but in the novel Train, the idea of ignorance transforms into the idea of recognition. Ignorance and recognition is a motif that has very little literal connection to the plot, but it carries a great deal of symbolic weight in the book. After examining ignorance and recognition, it is clear that it is a motif the changes its meaning throughout the book.

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    The line “they’ll never know we’re here” appears twice throughout the book. It appears as both the first and last lines showing its great significance. To define what the line means, one must examine it in context. When Cohen first uses this line, it shows the ignorance of the Nazis to Tsura sneaking around. Although, it is only when the reader finishes the novel they can fully comprehend the last line. The last line is referring to the people in the future and how they would never know about the story of the Roma, homosexuals, disabled, etc. The first hint we get about the last line is when Seraph remarks to Tsura, “I’d never heard of Marzahn ‘till I met you,” and Tsura responding, “They choose to ignore it” (90). This statement shows that most people didn’t know about the Roma and Sinti people’s story. When Tsura says that people choose to ignore it, she is implying that it was the people who stayed silent made a conscious choice to be knowledgeable about the story of the Roma people. Another clue we get is when Tsura and Marko are at the hospital Tsura makes a promise to remember (142). This promise shows the transformation from ignorance to recognition. When Tsura says that she will remember she cares less about the ignorance of the world to the people who helped hide the Roma but is rather focused on preserving the memory of them. Further, at Wolf and Seraph's apartment, Tsura points out how the BBC radio broadcast never talks about the Roma. She says, “They’re killing us too. But the world doesn't care” (280). This prase shows the ignorance of the world to the persecution of the Roma/Sinti. The phrase “doesn't care” suggests a choice for the world to ignore the Roma similar to a previous example.

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     In the story, the line is used to show how the story of the Roma is unknown. But, this line can apply to anyone whose story is untold. At first, Tsura wants to be hidden, but by the end of the book, she wants her story to be told. The purpose of this book is to unsilence the hidden stories. This motif is the core of the theme. Danny Cohen uses this to dig at the holocaust education. Cohen’s use of “they’ll never know we’re here” as the last line leaves the reader thinking about the hidden stories of the holocaust along with the theme of the book.