All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, paints war in a realistic, brutal manner as opposed to romancing war. As narrated by the young German soldier, Paul Bäumer, the novel portrays how the atrocities of World War I transform an idealistic, nationalistic, young nineteen-year-old into a lost soul who is unable to envision a life outside of the war. Born in Germany in 1898, Remarque himself served in the war and spent time on the Western Front until severely injured in 1917. He wrote All Quiet on the Western Front approximately ten years after the war, and his experiences give a realistic message and tone to the novel, as well as special insight to the character portrayals. The novel follows the Second Company of the German
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World War I is the first war to extensively utilize trench warfare as opposed to attacking and advancing troops. Advances in artillery allow opponents to attack from a distance, which allows opposing forces to send a barrage of shells in an attempt to wear down the other side. Soldiers learn to distinguish the types of artillery by their sound in the air and explosions as Kat, one of Paul’s fellow soldiers explains to new recruits on the front, “That was a twelve-inch. You can tell by the report; now you’ll hear the burst” (53).The response to the barrage is to dig a series of large ditches, or trenches, to withstand the heavy artillery. After days of heavy artillery fire, the side with the advantage will attempt to advance troops by sending infantry into the area between, called No Man’s Land. The vast majority of infantry are gunned down by machine gun fire, resulting in massive casualties that remain on the ground for extended periods of time. Generally speaking, opposing sides remain at a stalemate with minimal …show more content…
Paul never feels as though he actually belongs when he is home on leave. He is unable to speak of life on the front because it would bring back too many painful memories. Civilians want to hear about the wonders of the war when there really are none. Leave time illustrates how difficult life will be after the war, especially those like Paul who were brought into the war at a young age. They did not have time to develop hopes and ambitions. All they know is the war. For most young men who survive the war, life after is spent wandering and never able to believe that they belong. A conversation the soldiers have while behind the front lines foreshadows the difficulty of life after the war. One soldier asks the others what they will do after the war. Some believe the war will never end. Another says he would stay in the military. Others are unable to answer the question. Only those who are older, have a family, or own property like a farm are able to answer because the already have a foundation to fall
World War I is the first war to extensively utilize trench warfare as opposed to attacking and advancing troops. Advances in artillery allow opponents to attack from a distance, which allows opposing forces to send a barrage of shells in an attempt to wear down the other side. Soldiers learn to distinguish the types of artillery by their sound in the air and explosions as Kat, one of Paul’s fellow soldiers explains to new recruits on the front, “That was a twelve-inch. You can tell by the report; now you’ll hear the burst” (53).The response to the barrage is to dig a series of large ditches, or trenches, to withstand the heavy artillery. After days of heavy artillery fire, the side with the advantage will attempt to advance troops by sending infantry into the area between, called No Man’s Land. The vast majority of infantry are gunned down by machine gun fire, resulting in massive casualties that remain on the ground for extended periods of time. Generally speaking, opposing sides remain at a stalemate with minimal …show more content…
Paul never feels as though he actually belongs when he is home on leave. He is unable to speak of life on the front because it would bring back too many painful memories. Civilians want to hear about the wonders of the war when there really are none. Leave time illustrates how difficult life will be after the war, especially those like Paul who were brought into the war at a young age. They did not have time to develop hopes and ambitions. All they know is the war. For most young men who survive the war, life after is spent wandering and never able to believe that they belong. A conversation the soldiers have while behind the front lines foreshadows the difficulty of life after the war. One soldier asks the others what they will do after the war. Some believe the war will never end. Another says he would stay in the military. Others are unable to answer the question. Only those who are older, have a family, or own property like a farm are able to answer because the already have a foundation to fall