All Quiet on the Western Front: Effective Criticism of War
All Quiet on the Western Front was a sad tale of Paul Bäumer, a lad just entering adulthood, who
fought in a war that he did not even believe in. Erich Maria Remarque wrote this novel to show the
war through the eyes of Paul, who saw everything that happened; every death, every horror, and
all the bloodshed. Remarque denounced war by showing how it destroys human lives and, more
importantly, how it devours the human soul. World War I was pointless to the young soldiers
who did not even seem to know why a war was being waged. Paul showed how war affected
an entire generation, of people, which he represented through Paul. Altogether, All Quiet on
the Western Front was a powerful and moving criticism of the war.
Every character in the novel was a tragic character and a sad loss in the war. This includes Paul,
whose eyes Remarque used to show the atrocities of war to the world. All the events were shown
without heroism, or at least without what was officially determined to be heroic by the people. Paul
watched people die and killed people, something that tore him apart emotionally, but for which he
would be considered a hero for. "We reach the zone where the front begins and become on the
instant human animals" (56). The humanity was taken away from these soldiers, a horrible and
mournful thing, and completely unwarranted. These were students like Paul, farmers like Detering,
and other ordinary men who were enlisted and taken to the front, not really knowing what they
were fighting for, stripped of even their humanity. At one point Paul even said "[i]n many ways we
are treated quite like men" (91). However, they were men, even though they were made to feel
like animals. They were still men. Remarque effectively used Paul's experiences to illustrate his
criticism of World War I, showing the destruction to humanity and human emotion. There was
already the mention of the soldiers becoming animals when at the front. He described this further:
"The blast of the hand-grenades impinges powerfully on our arms and legs; crouching like cats we
run on, overwhelmed by this wave that bears us along, that fills us with ferocity, turns us into thugs,
Society wants soldiers to believe that war is glorious. But it is not. Society wants soldiers to believe war is an adventure. But it is not. Society wants soldiers to believe that our enemy is the only enemy, that our cause is the only cause, that our people are the only people. But there are many enemies, many causes and many peoples. According to Paul, all these causes are equally ignoble, and none of these enemies are worthy of being slaughtered en masse. For Paul, as for many people, past, present, and future, war is simply unacceptable, and nothing can repair the damage it does.
...my own hometown, like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid” to show how they both were compelled to carry out a message one being the gospel of Jesus Christ and the latter being human equality (p.61). By comparing himself to historical figures he makes numbers of ethical appeals and he builds up the author’s character. His use of great leaders can have a great influence in the reader and have an effect on the emotions of the reader.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul is morphed from an innocent child into a war veteran who has a new look on society. Paul used to have a carefree life where he was able to be a kid, but when he enlisted into the army it all changed. Paul became a person whose beliefs were changed because of the war. Paul doesn't believe in society anymore especially parents, elders, and school, which used to play a big part in his life. He changed his beliefs because society does not really understand how bad war really is and pushed many young men, who were not ready, into the army. Paul connects with his fellow soldiers because they are going through the same situation and feel the same emotions. Paul's beliefs were changed by the lies that were told to him.
Remarque accurately portrays all aspects of the war. However Remarque is best able to portray the effects the war has on the soldiers and the rest of the people and the scene of the battlefield compared to home.
The horse makes a terrible noise of anguish and is in terrible pain and it has been shot as the author describes here. " The belly of one of the horses has been ripped open and its guts are trailing out." This shows that there are not just human casualties of war; the innocent lives of animals can be affected as much as humans who fight in wars. Deterring-one soldier in Pauls group-says. " It is the most despicable thing of all to drag animals into a war.
The new technological advances of weapons add to the cruelty and tragedy of World War 1. This ultimately is why Remarque focuses on the losses suffered by Paul and his fellow soldiers. In addition, the observations made by Remarque are not unique to war and are exemplified by the struggles soldiers, like Paul, face physically and
War destroys Paul and his friends. Those who physically survive the bombing, the bullets and bayonets are annihilated by physical attacks on their sanity.
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.
Why does the world need to kill two million men just because two countries can’t agree with each other? War is devastating to countries and most indefinitely to individuals and soldiers. A war can ruin families, friendships, education, economy, and the minds of innocent people. Most young men, who were just approaching manhood, were pulled of their innocence of childhood, and thrown into a world of rage and destruction. Soldiers that luckily survive a horrific war often find their lives turned completely upside down since they enlisted, and sometimes it is just impossible to forget the vicious past and start over again as a civilian. Many older men believe that wars being fought are wars of dignity and glory, but truthfully, wars are battles of death and gore. The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque expresses dramatically the negative effects of war.
After entering the war in young adulthood, the soldiers lost their innocence. Paul’s generation is called the Lost Generation because they have lost their childhood while in the war. When Paul visits home on leave he realizes that he will never be the same person who enlisted in the army. His pre-war life contains a boy who is now dead to him. While home on leave Paul says “I used to live in this room before I was a soldier” (170).
Remarque also tried to teach his audience. Written within a decade of the end of the war, the book calls on those who forfeited their youth to the war not to allow time to hide what had happened. Time may heal all wounds, but the cause of those wounds must not be forgotten, nor allowed to repeat itself. The author is; however, pragmatic enough to realize that all will not learn the lesson; nevertheless, those who are willing to learn it will discover that the story has been told before, and without their intervention, it is doomed to be told again.
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.
Remarque displays the brutal effect war has on people’s minds. Paul Baumer suffers from several psychological disorders that the war
The older generation had an artificial illusion of what war is and although Paul's generation, the soldiers, loved their country, they were forced to distinguish reality from illusion. Because of this disti...
What is censorship? That might be hard to explain. For every person a “word” can mean many things. Yet at the same time can have a similar overall idea. Take these two examples of the definition censorship. The American Civil Liberties Union claims that it means the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive." The Global Internet Liberty Campaign states it is the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society. Just by these two definitions alone you can find similarities and differences in their meaning.