The horrors of war plague the soldiers in Remarque’s All Quiet On the Western Front, but their strong friendships save most of them from madness as they drive themselves to survive. Baumer treats his comrades like family, turning to them for advice and comfort. In addition to momentary distractions, such as card playing, Baumer’s relationships motivate him to fight in a war he no longer believes is his. Although Baumer’s friendships leave him estranged from his parents, he forms unbreakable bonds that help him overcome the brutal conditions of war. His dependency on his relationships show his inability to stay driven to survive and divert his thoughts away from the war. Baumer is most dependent on his comrades for psychological comfort. For instance, Kat offers Baumer a calming sense that “brings him peace” even when they are just cooking a goose (95). Their relationship summarizes the importance of Baumer’s unbreakable bonds; he does not look to Kat just as a friend, but believes they have “a more complete communion than even lovers have” (94). It is when he is without his friends that his psychological damage engulfs him. For instance, when he is trapped in the crater with the man he killed, he acts irrationally by sitting the dead man up and speaking and
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As his time with the dead man increases, he acts stranger and hallucinates due to starvation while thinking about when he will die (226). In the crater, his sense of survivor’s
As his time with the dead man increases, he acts stranger and hallucinates due to starvation while thinking about when he will die (226). In the crater, his sense of survivor’s