Hidden identity is an important motif that shows up throughout Train. Not only do hidden identities protect the characters in the book, they change them. Different personas make the characters feel stronger, helps them to take risks and rescue others, and sometimes, it describes them. In most cases, hidden identity is the only way for people outside of the “Aryan” race to survive.

   Sometimes a hidden identity can make a character feel stronger by letting them act as a different person. When Tsura walks past the guards at the U-Bahn station, her alternate personality makes her feel stronger. “The woolen overcoat hid the curves of her breasts, and her hair stayed tucked tight into a flat cap. She looked like a man and felt stronger for it” (2). A new persona not only boosts Tsura’s self-esteem but it is also vital to her survival. The Nazi officers are very attentive to fear. A person with a secret needs to be confident and convincing to get away with lying. Since her hidden identity gives her strength, it allows her to take risks and challenge people she normally would not, such as the Nazi guards at the train station. “‘Why are you dressed like a man?’ the second soldier asked, rifle at his side. Tsura pointed at the sleeves of his jacket, which didn’t even reach his wrists. ‘Why are you dressed like a schoolboy?’ The other soldier laughed. As he unfolded and checked her papers, his grin widened. ‘Nice to meet you, Greta. We share a birthday.’ ‘Lucky me,’ Tsura said. Her fake smile matched her false identity”(1-2). As Tsura’s hidden identity strengthens her self-esteem, herself self-esteem strengthens her hidden identity. Tsura is hiding in a place no one expects her to hide, one of the best hiding spots, in plain sight.

   Only people who knew they were in danger at the beginning of the war were able to create false documents with ease. Those who did not create false documents early on were dependent on those who previously created their papers to escape. One of the brave forgers, Tsura, Marko, and Kizzy’s uncle, runs an antique shop in Berlin. “Tsura's family thought he might have escaped overseas, but it turned out he’d been in Berlin all along, running the antique shop under a false name” (313). With his false identity and antique shop, he is able to secretly create photos to use for fake documents to help others escape, such as Alex. Their uncle uses his hidden status to help others survive. He uses it to be a hero, even though he had the option early on to escape.

   The law in Germany during World War II is to have identification papers so you are able to prove who you are. During the war, the papers made it complicated for the hunted to escape. Many of the characters in the novel have these papers to hide their old identity even farther. However, those who do not have the correct documents to hide will get caught and taken away. When Alex is found in Ruth’s room by the Nazis, Ruth and Annet tried to make an impromptu lie to save him. “’This is your brother?’ the pig asked. Alexander stood at the foot of the stairs. ‘No. Voeske. I’m Paul Voeske,’ he lied….. ‘He’s-’ Ruth purposely hesitated and pretended to be embarrassed. ‘He’s my boyfriend’” (117-118). Unfortunately, Alex did not have the right papers to prove his fake identity. Not having papers led to him being captured and sent away. Alex got into trouble because he did not cover up his hidden identity. This shows that having a hidden identity is vital to survival.

   A choice Cohen uses in Train is to use some of the characters code names to describe them in the story. One of them is Seraph, Tsura’s friend. Tsura meets Seraph outside the U-Bahn train station. “She watched Seraph approach. Seraph-a code name of course-with her short hair and skinny frame pulled a revolver from her pocket”(2). The word Seraph means angel or someone who always brings gifts. The character Seraph gives items to help Tsura, such as the revolver, the pickup truck, and forged identification papers. Another example includes Wolf. “Wolf let the young women inside. He was unshaven as usual and, despite the warmth of Seraph’s apartment, still in his coat and gloves” (18). Wolf the character is vicious. He does not hesitate to kill his enemies and take revenge just like a real wolf.  

   Hidden identity is a motif that shows up many times throughout the book. Hidden identities in Train not only protect the characters in the book, they change them or describe them. These characters would be completely different people without their secret personas. Many of them would have no chance to survive the war, and others would not be as strong of a character. These characters are now allowed to hide parts aspects of themselves or have new ones. Either way, hidden identity makes the story stronger and is also something that people in the war used to survive.