The Horrors of War: Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On the Western Front

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War, it is one of the most sickening, terrifying and downright gruesome events that have happened throughout history. One of the most devastating wars of all time would be that of the First World War. Trench Warfare became the main method of fighting and basically became a living hell for those who fought. The grime, dead bodies piling up, rats that thrived in the pits, disease, malnutrition, and just unbearable conditions, the trenches basically became a hell on Earth. The novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which was written by Erich Maria Remarque, provides almost a journal into the center of these conditions, exploring just how dark and depressing they were. Erich had been a German soldier towards the end of WWI and had experienced the pure terror that is war first hand. He fought in the trenches out on the Western Front which would have easily provide him with a view of the mental bonds and issues that build up and between a group of soldiers. The novel provides one of the earliest looks in to these mental issues such as PTSD that would become more widely recognized in later years. Remarque’s All Quiet On the Western Front vividly portrays the mindset of a soldier and the complete deterioration that occurs when one is in combat for days on end.
First to understand more about the novel and its author, Erich Maria Remarque, it would be helpful to learn about his life. Erich was born on June 22, 1898 ("Erich Maria Remarque-Peace Center Osnabrück.") in the town of Osnabruck Germany. He was born into a poor family to his father, Peter Maria Kramer, and mother, Anna Marie Kramer (Liukkonen). His father was a bookbinder while Erich was a kid (Liukkonen). He also had two other siblings and his family as a whole moved at least el...

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...n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
Liukkonen, Petri. "Prose & Poetry- Erich Maria Remarque." Firstworldwar.com. N.p., 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Helpguide.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. Trans. A. W. Wheen. Boston: Little, Brown, and, 1929. Print.
Robertson, William. "Erich Maria Remarque." Remarque.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
Taylor, Marvin J. "The Life and Writings of Erich Maria Remarque." Nyu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .

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