All Quiet in the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

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Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet in the Western Front expresses the emotions and physical states that soldiers experience in battles. The novel illustrates great struggle that Paul, a young soldier that voluntarily enrolled in war has to go through in order to survive. Eager and ready to join Paul sees the horror of war. In contrast, Joseph Boyden tells a story between two best friends that join the war and become professional snipers. Elijah and Xavier, growing up from a native culture, Xavier strictly follows his native beliefs while Elijah loses knowledge of his native background and adapts to the white culture. Elijah loses himself to drugs and becoming windigo, committing many murders to gain the respect and name of the best sniper. The book deals with drug addiction and best friends separating towards different paths. Both novels display the themes of traumatization from death, friendships breaking apart, and the change within a character in order to survive. Both novels display the harsh effects that war can have on a soldier. Soldier suffer emotional and physical effects that cause the transformation to becoming animals, and losing humanity within themselves.
In All Quiet in the Western Front, a major role displayed from Paul is the traumatizing effects that come from experiencing death. To begin, Paul voluntarily joins by being seduced from nationalist ideas. Not thinking of the real effects and consequences that may occur but rather joining for the idea of heroism. Witnessing the frightening jobs that have to be done and comrades falling to death. This is seen after going to combat on the battlefield and watching young men die. Along with the violence these soldiers live in their own filth and dreadful conditions, he s...

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...as a reason to return home, confused and alone Paul’s decision was his only to freedom. Seeing how the new recruits will go through the same path and return as walking corpses. After years of serving in the war Paul is sitting peacefully on the trenches, gets shot and as he dies his expression was of relief that he no more has to go through pain and suffering. After witnessing so many murders and humankind coming to a fall Paul dies of a peaceful death. Ultimately, Paul being a young man going to war took his life away from him physically and mentally. Paul goes through miserable states in the war leading him to depression, pain, and suffering.

Works Cited

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/quotes.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/canalysis.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/themes.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/section6.rhtml

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