Paul Baumer's Comradehip In All Quiet On The Western Front

In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator Paul Baumer has numerous traits that develop in the story, but Comradeship and Gentleman-ness are two traits that stand out among the many in the novel. As Paul ages and goes through tough times with his comrades things begin to evolve for once young Paul.
Paul Baumer a young 19-year-old poet who is about to go through the most physically and mentally demanding time in his life, but Comradeship is just one of the many traits that will help him through the most demanding time in his life. Paul is a polite, well-built boy with the urge to fight and get on the front lines. He enlisted with three other classmates from his school Albert Kropp, Muller and Leer. The four men all have a stronger relationship with each other that is unbreakable.

Throughout the story, Paul shows a great deal of comradeship towards the men and towards others, he did not graduate with.

Although, throughout the story, the amount of comradeship changes as the men goes through rough and violent times together as comrades. Many times within the story men are wounded or killed. When Paul was in no man’s land the French enemy charges and Paul has to act fast and he gets down into an old shell hole. He buries himself at the bottom in all the muck and filthy water. As he’s lying there a French soldier trips into his hole. Paul has to act fast before the other soldier notices him, at once Paul takes his knife and slits the French soldier’s throat. “ I don’t think at all, I make no decision-I strike madly at home, and feel only how the body suddenly convulses, then becomes limp, and collapses. When I recover myself, my hand is sticky and wet.”(216). This shows how violent the war was and how unaware the men were for the war.

After Paul wounds the French soldier, the comradeship expressed towards the soldier is unimaginable. “ No, no, no, I raise one hand, I must show him that I want to help him, I stroke his forehead.” (219). Even though Paul was the one who did this to the soldier, he still wants to help him and he regrets his actions.
Paul is granted a 17 day leave, he may not know it yet, but between this time Paul will discover another important trait, gentleman-ness. While on his journey on leave and after leave Paul experiences many tough events and he keeps his composure and still upholds his gentleman-ness. “ Now I hear my mother's voice it comes from the bedroom. Is she in bed? I ask my sister. She is ill-she replies.”(158). He takes care of her and tends to her needs for the days he is at home. Also, his sister that he hasn’t seen in since the start of the war is there and he is very polite and shy at first. As Paul experiences these hardships of being at home he still commands and controls his attitude and his gentleman-ness. After leave Paul has to go to training a POW camp. There are Russian prisoners there as well. As Paul experiences the training camp, he realizes that these prisoners are just men like him and his comrades. Paul even shares some of the bread his mother gave him before he left home. Many of the soldiers never wanted to fight in the first place, but because of jealous leaders, men have to kill to stay alive.
Comradeship and Gentleman-ness really characterize Paul and bring out the goodness in him. They make him a better person. They are developed over the course of the war. They make Paul the best person of all, a son, a brother, a comrade.