World War 1 and wars in general were always made to show honor and glory. In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet On the Western Front, he gives readers a new look on war that was rarely shown before. He uses Paul Baumer, the main character, to tell his story of what he experienced on the German side during World War 1. Remarque uses symbolism throughout his novel to help emphasize his feelings of war and how it affects the characters in the story. He incorporates Hemmerich’s boots, butterflies and horses to show the horror, along with the effects of war that the soldiers experienced.
Hemmerich’s boots are one of the symbols that stand out the most. He took it from a dead man that he found. After one of his leg got amputated, Muller wanted them. Muller wasn’t as concerned about Hemmerich’s well being; instead he sought after his boots. Every owner of the boots have died in battle when …show more content…
One day when Paul wakes up he sees two butterflies flying around on the trench. It was also ironic to see such pretty creatures in the middle of a war zone. However, they reminded Paul of how magical the world is despite the carnage that is happening. Butterflies also symbolize the frailness in life because butterflies are also known to die quickly due to their fragile wings. This connects with how Remarque’s novel shows that these soldiers die fast and are expendable They are often used to also symbolize rebirth since they go through metamorphosis and become a new creature. When Paul watches them in the morning, the butterflies he sees lands on a skull’s teeth. The irony is there to show how something that symbolizes rebirth was on something that shows death. The author uses these two contrasting symbols to show how war is not like butterflies, but more like what people think when seeing skulls. Theses soldiers go through war then die. They are not like butterflies and aren’t reborn into that life
Hemmerich’s boots are one of the symbols that stand out the most. He took it from a dead man that he found. After one of his leg got amputated, Muller wanted them. Muller wasn’t as concerned about Hemmerich’s well being; instead he sought after his boots. Every owner of the boots have died in battle when …show more content…
One day when Paul wakes up he sees two butterflies flying around on the trench. It was also ironic to see such pretty creatures in the middle of a war zone. However, they reminded Paul of how magical the world is despite the carnage that is happening. Butterflies also symbolize the frailness in life because butterflies are also known to die quickly due to their fragile wings. This connects with how Remarque’s novel shows that these soldiers die fast and are expendable They are often used to also symbolize rebirth since they go through metamorphosis and become a new creature. When Paul watches them in the morning, the butterflies he sees lands on a skull’s teeth. The irony is there to show how something that symbolizes rebirth was on something that shows death. The author uses these two contrasting symbols to show how war is not like butterflies, but more like what people think when seeing skulls. Theses soldiers go through war then die. They are not like butterflies and aren’t reborn into that life