War can wound and burn, but it can also heal. In the book, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque presents this, and then some--a thoroughly unsightly image of war-guttural, jagged landscapes of emotion, meandering rivers of humanity, and acrid pictures of the soldier's experience. Set starkly in WWI, it focuses on the brutality and senselessness of war, even going so far as to vividly depict scenes of viscera, gore, and trench warfare (how synonymous those three may be). It has no intended political connotation, and stands solely to vocalize the scarring experience that soldiers went through. Paul Baumer and company, the main characters of our book, serve as the medium through which the loss (or the contrary, perseverance) of …show more content…
Paul’s leave, is in truth, an allegory for his estrangement and the pain his lingering dregs of personhood bring him. By the process of war, he has been molded to be useful as a soldier and nothing else. It is said explicitly, “We had fancied our task would be different, only to find we were to be trained for heroism as though we were circus-ponies. But we soon accustomed ourselves to it. We learned in fact some of these things were necessary, but the rest merely show. Soldiers have a fine nose for such distinctions (Remarque 22).” And in addition to that “They talk too much for me. They have worries, aims, desires, that I cannot comprehend.none feels it with his whole essence; I cannot even say myself exactly what I mean (Remarque 168-169).” But, the fact that he is not totally and utterly estranged from his people, and that he subtly manages a quiet personal defiance of military standardization stands as a stark symbol of his struggle to maintain his humanity. Rather than being locked in another room with a closed door, it’s akin to him looking through an open window, one with a …show more content…
He still is, no doubt. But that lifeblood, that vigor that once coursed within him, has been strangled to an inaudible trickle. Humanity is not a thing. Paul (&co) is by no means exempt from this principle. His character ebbs and flows with what he’s surrounded by, even more so than his peers. See, “These are wonderfully carefree hours.We hear the muffled rumble of the front only as a very distant thunder, bumblebees droning by quite drown it (Remarque 9)” To accrete further, “Then we begin to realize we are in for trouble. The observation balloons have spotted the smoke from our chimney.Immediately afterwards I am up again and going on with the frying (Remarque, 234-235)” This type of transient joy with subliminal, ever-present grim undertones is very commonly illustrated in Remarque’s work. For good reason it is instrumental in displaying the innate contradiction that the soldiers have to live with. The highest highs and most pitiful lows of their lives are in direct sync with each other. They have no choice but to endure a wavering, unstable state. To forcibly “live” in such a way that upsets and overturns a man’s regular order for so long. It’s no wonder Paul began to loosen his grip on
So said German World War I Veteran, Erich Maria Remarque, in his book All Quiet on The Western Front. War is an extremely complex and corrupt affair that many can’t even begin to comprehend. This juxtaposing quote perfectly depicts how Remarque’s detailed and personal novel allows the reader inside the mind of a soldier, giving unique insight on war. The novel follows the events narrator Paul Bäumer encounters whilst at war and shows Bäumer’s reflective thoughts on these events. This form of narration is a large part of what makes the book so effective. The book conveys many strong messages about war but the most prominent ones in the story line are:
“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another (263).” Powerful changes result from horrifying experiences. Paul Baumer, the protagonists of Erich Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front utters these words signifying the loss of his humanity and the reduction to a numbed creature, devoid of emotion. Paul’s character originates in the novel as a young adult, out for an adventure, and eager to serve his country. He never realizes the terrible pressures that war imposes on soldiers, and at the conclusion of the book the empty shell resembling Paul stands testament to this. Not only does Paul lose himself throughout the course of the war, but he loses each of his 20 classmates who volunteered with him, further emphasizing the terrible consequences of warfare. The heavy psychological demands of life in the trenches and the harsh reality of war strip Paul of his humanity and leave him with a body devoid of all sentiment and feeling.
My groups theme is Alliances, and a excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front that supported our theme for chapter 5 is “ We don't talk much, but I believe we have a more complete communion with one another than even lovers have. We are two men, two minute sparks of life; outside is the night and the circle of death. We sit on the edge of it crouching in danger, the grease drips from our hands, in our hearts we are close to one another…What does he know of me or I of him? formerly we should not have had a single thought in common--now we sit with a goose between us and feel in unison, are so intimate that we do not even speak.”. I believe that this excerpt relates to the theme of alliances because when Paul says “We sit on the edge of it crouching in danger…” it reminds me of how the countries that have formed an alliance always risk losing the war and many resources. Also, when Paul continues to say “What does he know of me
He was busy dodging bullets and artillery shells, trying to stay alive on Germany’s Western Front during World War I. Paul and I are united on the grounds of age and nothing more, yet somehow, while following him through his service in the War, I feel connected to him. After finishing the novel, I ruminated on this idea for some time and eventually came to the conclusion that the connection I feel with Paul is a mixture of empathy and envy. I empathize with him because he put down the pen and took up the rifle in service of his country, just as I would do if called upon. I envy him because he exudes the qualities of a brilliant soldier, meticulous narrator, and man of faith even in times of mortal danger, especially in times of mortal danger.... ... middle of paper ...
To Pursue Remarque’s tone farther, his tone throughout this novel was rather easy to find because of the horrific, depressing, yet at the same time a little sympathetic, scenes. Paul explains a scene after a bombardment, “In the branches dead men are hanging. A naked soldier is squatting in the fork of a tree, he still has his helmet on, otherwise he is entirely unclad. There is only half of him sitting up there, the top half, the legs are missing” (93). The bombs are killing several men at a time. Paul not only observes this in real life, he ultimately has to live through it. Once a war has been going on for a long period, the soldiers know that war is all about death.
For the most part, Paul at least outwardly appears to have adopted the war mindset. His actions are very much those of the typical soldier. For example, Paul, like all the other soldiers, will do anything he can for food. He is well accustomed to relieving himself out of doors: "Here in the open air though, the business is entirely a pleasure. I no longer understand why we should always have shied at these things before. They are, in fact, just as natural as eating and drinking" (8). Most of all, he values his survival above social customs: "We have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts are real and important for us. And good boots are scarce" (21). For Paul, as for most soldiers, the rules of normal, polite society simply do not apply at the front. In the time between Paul's volunteering for the war and the beginning of the book, he has changed. For all the physical evidence, he is a common foot soldier.
Paul's experiences in combat shatter his former misconceptions of war; consequently, he gains the ability to reflect on events with his own accord. His naive ideas are severely challenged when he first witnesses the ugly truth of war. "The first bombardment showed us our mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to us broke in pieces"(13). Paul's first engagement in combat reveals that everything he was taught as a young recruit are lies; consequently, he can now form his own conclusions. Through the ongoing course of the war, Paul comes to grips with the reality of the situation. "They are strong and our desire is strong-but they are unattainable, and we know it"(121). Paul realizes that the soldiers former lives are all but distant memories. His maturing personality gives him the insight to see past the facade of war and expose it for what it truly is.
Paul believes that he was tricked into joining the army and fighting in the war. This makes him very bitter towards the people who lied to him. This is why he lost his respect and trust towards the society. Teachers and parents were the big catalysts for the ki...
Throughout their lives, people must deal with the horrific and violent side of humanity. The side of humanity is shown through the act of war. This is shown in Erich Remarque’s novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”. War is by far the most horrible thing that the human race has to go through. The participants in the war suffer irreversible damage by the atrocities they witness and the things they go through.
All Quiet on the Western Front is the story of Paul Baumer’s service as a soldier in the German army during World War I. Paul and his classmates enlist together, share experiences together, grow together, share disillusionment over the loss of their youth, and the friends even experience the horrors of death-- together. Though the book is a novel, it gives the reader insights into the realities of war. In this genre, the author is free to develop the characters in a way that brings the reader into the life of Paul Baumer and his comrades. The novel frees the author from recounting only cold, sterile facts. This approach allows the reader to experience what might have been only irrelevant facts if presented in a textbook.
Paul and his company were once aspiring youth just graduating school thinking about having a wonderful life. Sometimes things don’t always play out the way you want. The effects of war on a soldier is another big theme in the novel. Paul describes how they have changed and how death doesn’t affect them anymore. “We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defen...
While soldiers are often perceived as glorious heroes in romantic literature, this is not always true as the trauma of fighting in war has many detrimental side effects. In Erich Maria Remarque 's All Quiet On The Western Front, the story of a young German soldier is told as he adapts to the harsh life of a World War I soldier. Fighting along the Western Front, nineteen year old Paul Baumer and his comrades begin to experience some of the hardest things that war has to offer. Paul’s old self gradually begins to deteriorate as he is awakened to the harsh reality of World War 1, depriving him from his childhood, numbing all normal human emotions and distancing future, reducing the quality of his life.
There was a drastic change in Paul’s mindset when he came home for his break. For example, he lied to Franz’s mother about his death. He said he had a quick death, but in reality, Franz had a slow and painful death. As a result of the war, many soldiers also gave up on their beliefs as well.
War can be as damaging to the human body as it is to the mind. In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, this idea that war causes psychological disorders is represented throughout the book through the main character, Paul Baumer. This book follows the lives of young soldiers in World War I. Together, these men create powerful bonds. They go through terrifying experiences that continue to strengthen their bonds, but also destroy their mental state. Through Paul’s eyes, Remarque shows the devastation that war has on the mind.
War is a tragedy. We’ve already learned from history that there are no winners in war. We fight for the common good such as money and land to only achieve despair, death, and fear. In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, soldiers’ emotions and natural human instincts, such as the will to survive animalistic mindsets are represented throughout the progression of the novel. If a 2015 film were to be made of, All Quiet on the Western Front, If a modern film were to be made of All Quiet on the Western Front, it would describe how war changes soldiers’ view points towards life and forces them to disconnect their feelings from the reality around them by changing their personality and character.