All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque and translated by A. W. Wheen, is coined as “The Greatest War Novel of All Time”. It sold almost 1,500,000 copies in the first year it was published, was translated into 12 different languages, and was very famous for it’s anti-war influence. This novel has 4 key themes that are prevalent throughout the book. Firstly is the comparison of the recruits to Remarque himself, then the dehumanization of soldiers, the usage and purpose for the war, and finally, the theme of a lost generation.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel, told from Paul Bäumer’s point of view, telling of his school friend’s and his own journey through the German front in World War I. It showcases the effect …show more content…
War stories before it glamorized and romanticized the war, but this novel shows the true carnage of the Firstly, one of the main reasons that this war was fought was a uniting sense of nationalism. On all sides soldiers fought for the glory and honor of their home country. Paul and the rest of the Iron Youth were persuaded by their teacher, Kantorek, to join the war and support Germany. They felt as if it was their duty to their country. Paul says about Kantorek’s pressing requests, “...They taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing,.. We loved our country as much as they;” (13). The boys felt like to not enlist was a dishonor to their country, and they quickly found out that the teachers truly did not have any idea of the full force of the war. Nationalism brought them into the war, but by the end they lost respect for their teachers and leaders. Secondly, Remarque addresses the idea that a large portion of the reason the war is fought for fame of the generals and leaders rather than genuine problems between countries. “‘...Every full grown emperor requires at least one war, otherwise he would not become famous…”’ (206) Some of the men are discussing their ideas on the usefulness of the war, and they suggest that the real reason that the war is fought is because generals and emperors want to be acknowledged and remembered. World War I is largely universally known, and so are the generals and leaders that commanded armies to both victory and loss. This passage presents a valid argument on the purpose of all wars. Finally, the last point that relates very closely to the previous point, is that to the soldiers actually fighting the war, they feel it is useless, and believe that the ones who start the war should be the ones who do the fighting. Remarque states: “This would be much simpler and more just than
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel, told from Paul Bäumer’s point of view, telling of his school friend’s and his own journey through the German front in World War I. It showcases the effect …show more content…
War stories before it glamorized and romanticized the war, but this novel shows the true carnage of the Firstly, one of the main reasons that this war was fought was a uniting sense of nationalism. On all sides soldiers fought for the glory and honor of their home country. Paul and the rest of the Iron Youth were persuaded by their teacher, Kantorek, to join the war and support Germany. They felt as if it was their duty to their country. Paul says about Kantorek’s pressing requests, “...They taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing,.. We loved our country as much as they;” (13). The boys felt like to not enlist was a dishonor to their country, and they quickly found out that the teachers truly did not have any idea of the full force of the war. Nationalism brought them into the war, but by the end they lost respect for their teachers and leaders. Secondly, Remarque addresses the idea that a large portion of the reason the war is fought for fame of the generals and leaders rather than genuine problems between countries. “‘...Every full grown emperor requires at least one war, otherwise he would not become famous…”’ (206) Some of the men are discussing their ideas on the usefulness of the war, and they suggest that the real reason that the war is fought is because generals and emperors want to be acknowledged and remembered. World War I is largely universally known, and so are the generals and leaders that commanded armies to both victory and loss. This passage presents a valid argument on the purpose of all wars. Finally, the last point that relates very closely to the previous point, is that to the soldiers actually fighting the war, they feel it is useless, and believe that the ones who start the war should be the ones who do the fighting. Remarque states: “This would be much simpler and more just than