1. In the second half of All Quiet on the Western Front, the soldiers return to the front after rumours of an attack. They are caught under heavy fire and their company of 150 men is reduced to only 32. Moreover, one of Paul’s friends, Haie Westhus, is killed after being stabbed during the attack. Paul is given a seventeen day vacation and upon his return home, he discovers that his mother has been diagnosed with cancer. He returns to the front once again where he is informed that they will be moved to Russia. While stationed there, Kat, Müller and leer are killed; Paul’s death comes soon after on October 18 1918, a quiet day on the western front. The characters involved in the novel are Franz Kemmerich, Leer, Müller, Mittelstaedt and Albert
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“For these cases of front-line madness become dangerous if one is not able to fling the man to the ground and hold him fast. And Berger is six feet and the most powerful man in the company. He is absolutely mad for he has to pass through the barrage; but this lightning that lower somewhere above us has struck him and made him demented…there was one man who even tried to dig himself into the ground with hands, feet and teeth” (279). In this quotation, Paul explains that Berger, a strong six feet tall soldier, went mad and almost got himself killed trying to save a dog. This quotation demonstrates the effect that war tends to have on some people. The constant fear, boredom and stress of being in the trenches affects the soldiers psychologically and when they lose their composure, they go mad. This also demonstrates that soldiers tend to be unstable as they witness gruesome things on a daily basis. Moreover, it is evident that the claustrophobic feel of the trenches negatively impacts the soldiers as they feel stuck underground, this is shown by a new recruit when he “ [tries] to dig himself into the ground with hands, feet and teeth” (279). Lastly, this quotation also communicates the idea that war is fought by people who have the wrong perception of war. This can be seen through the two recruits who go mad in the trenches; it is evident that they are not fit to be fighting as the war is so taxing on them that they become mentally unstable. Their inability to cope with the harsh conditions reveals that they did not know what war would be
“For these cases of front-line madness become dangerous if one is not able to fling the man to the ground and hold him fast. And Berger is six feet and the most powerful man in the company. He is absolutely mad for he has to pass through the barrage; but this lightning that lower somewhere above us has struck him and made him demented…there was one man who even tried to dig himself into the ground with hands, feet and teeth” (279). In this quotation, Paul explains that Berger, a strong six feet tall soldier, went mad and almost got himself killed trying to save a dog. This quotation demonstrates the effect that war tends to have on some people. The constant fear, boredom and stress of being in the trenches affects the soldiers psychologically and when they lose their composure, they go mad. This also demonstrates that soldiers tend to be unstable as they witness gruesome things on a daily basis. Moreover, it is evident that the claustrophobic feel of the trenches negatively impacts the soldiers as they feel stuck underground, this is shown by a new recruit when he “ [tries] to dig himself into the ground with hands, feet and teeth” (279). Lastly, this quotation also communicates the idea that war is fought by people who have the wrong perception of war. This can be seen through the two recruits who go mad in the trenches; it is evident that they are not fit to be fighting as the war is so taxing on them that they become mentally unstable. Their inability to cope with the harsh conditions reveals that they did not know what war would be