The novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”, by Erich Maria Remarque shows a generation of war veterans that escaped the shells and gunfire, but yet were still torn by the effects of war on the mind. Remarque shows this through the main character in his novel, Paul Baumer, and the men in his regiment. Throughout the Baumer’s testament, he tells of the joys and the fears the men faced everyday. Through writing his novel, Remarque fulfills his purpose he set for himself by showing the horrors in war. These terrors include watching his comrades die, the lack of food and sleep the men got, the sounds of dying animals along with the constant sound of bombs exploding around the men.
In the beginning of the book, Remarque show that war is devastating. …show more content…
Remarque talks about how the new recruits were trained well however, they are not trained for what war is. During the first bombardment one of the bombs landed behind Paul and them and some recruits jump up terrified (60). When Paul and Katczinsky are lying down in the front there is another new recruit that is very terrified. Paul tries to comfort him,but the new recruit will not lift his head off of his hands (61). Then the recruit looks up from his hands and looks at Paul. The recruit did not know that he went the bathroom in his pants during the bombings (62). Paul tells him that “Many of the men before you has his pants full after the first bombardment”(62). During the next bombardment the enemy keep hitting the front with shell after shell. It was a big mystery where the enemy got there shells from(109). During the bombardment, one of the recruits throws a fit. The recruit is going insane from just sitting there and not going anywhere because of the bombardment. He tells Paul that “I’ll be back in a minute”. And he tries to pas Paul,but he will not let the recruit get up and leave. The recruit gets mad at him and says “Leave me alone,let me go out,I will go out”(109). This is a cause of claustrophobia. He feels that he is suffocating here and wants to get out at any price(109). After, this happens more and more recruits want to get up and leave but if they do that then they will …show more content…
Paul tells the reader that Katczinsky becomes wounded when returning with food. Paul cannot find a stretcher to put him on so he carries him to a dressing station in the middle of a bombardment. As Paul and Kat take a break and wait for the bombardment to stop, they reflect on the good times they’ve had over the last three years. Kat and Paul continue on after sharing home addresses so they can see each other again in peacetime. When Paul arrives at the dressing station an orderly walks up to him and declares “You might have spared yourself that. He is stone dead.” (286) This, along with many other scenes in the book shows that war is gruesome due to the fact that you watch your closest friend die. Katczinsky, the only friend that Paul had left, was dead. When facing the reality of the situation, it becomes apparent that Remarque believed that war was an atrocious concept and the lives of the people fighting for their country was not worth
In the beginning of the book, Remarque show that war is devastating. …show more content…
Remarque talks about how the new recruits were trained well however, they are not trained for what war is. During the first bombardment one of the bombs landed behind Paul and them and some recruits jump up terrified (60). When Paul and Katczinsky are lying down in the front there is another new recruit that is very terrified. Paul tries to comfort him,but the new recruit will not lift his head off of his hands (61). Then the recruit looks up from his hands and looks at Paul. The recruit did not know that he went the bathroom in his pants during the bombings (62). Paul tells him that “Many of the men before you has his pants full after the first bombardment”(62). During the next bombardment the enemy keep hitting the front with shell after shell. It was a big mystery where the enemy got there shells from(109). During the bombardment, one of the recruits throws a fit. The recruit is going insane from just sitting there and not going anywhere because of the bombardment. He tells Paul that “I’ll be back in a minute”. And he tries to pas Paul,but he will not let the recruit get up and leave. The recruit gets mad at him and says “Leave me alone,let me go out,I will go out”(109). This is a cause of claustrophobia. He feels that he is suffocating here and wants to get out at any price(109). After, this happens more and more recruits want to get up and leave but if they do that then they will …show more content…
Paul tells the reader that Katczinsky becomes wounded when returning with food. Paul cannot find a stretcher to put him on so he carries him to a dressing station in the middle of a bombardment. As Paul and Kat take a break and wait for the bombardment to stop, they reflect on the good times they’ve had over the last three years. Kat and Paul continue on after sharing home addresses so they can see each other again in peacetime. When Paul arrives at the dressing station an orderly walks up to him and declares “You might have spared yourself that. He is stone dead.” (286) This, along with many other scenes in the book shows that war is gruesome due to the fact that you watch your closest friend die. Katczinsky, the only friend that Paul had left, was dead. When facing the reality of the situation, it becomes apparent that Remarque believed that war was an atrocious concept and the lives of the people fighting for their country was not worth