Themes reveal a why a story was written and the moral hidden in the story. The theme of "Faithful Elephants", a short story by Yukio Tsuchiya, is to never lose hope. As the title says "Faithful Elephants", the elephants never lost hope and stayed faithful to the very end. 
    World War II required killing every animal in the Ueno Zoo in case a bomb was dropped on it, freeing all the dangerous animals. The last 2 of the 3 elephants were being starved to death. Knowing that their trainer rewards them for doing good jobs in performing, the 2 elephants use the last if their strength to perform their special bonsai trick. Their trainer couldn't help himself and fed them and gave them water. The elephants were able to live another day.
     The elephants weren't the only ones who never lost hope. When the trainer didn't follow rules and he finally fed the elephants, the rest of the staff pretended not to notice. They all hoped that the elephants would survive longer. They hoped that the war would end before they died. They couldn't bear to part with their beloved elephants. 
     War affects everyone and everything. Once you go through war and see its affects, it changes your perspective. "Above them, in the bright blue sky, the angry roar of enemy planes returned. Bombs began to drop on Tokyo once more. Still Clinging to the elephants, the zoo keepers raised their fists to the sky and implored, 'Stop the war! Stop the war! Stop all wars!'" Even if it seems hopeless, never lose faith. This is what the short story "Faithful Elephants" has taught me.