The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque follows the story of Paul Baumer, a German soldier during World War I, and his everyday life in war. The most prominent message that Remarque emphasizes is the brutality and inhumane nature of war on not only German soldiers, but all people in war. Remarque highlights not only the physical hurt war has on people, but also the long lasting emotional toll, something Remarque believes follows the soldiers for the rest of their lives. Before Braumer went voluntarily to war, war is presented as patriotic and nationalism was high in the country. However, as we follow Braumer’s trek through the horrors of war, the propaganda long from meets the reality of war. If novels such as these
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Therefore, novels like this are a very informative piece that adds to our historical understanding of events. Although the propaganda by his teacher is what leads Braumer to join the war, Braumer has many conflicts of understanding why they are his enemies when they have done nothing to him. Braumer and his crew constantly question why they are fighting in the war and how other soldiers are different than themselves. An example of this is when Braumer stabs the enemy soldier who comes into his shell hole. Braumer tries desperately to save the man, because he did not mean to stab him, he was only frightened from the artillery strikes and did not want to die. After the man dies a slow death, Braumer finds the man’s wallet and sees that he has a wife and children. Finally Braumer tells the dead man that he is only an enemy because people have told him the dead man is an …show more content…
The physical toll is all too obvious with many injured and dead in World War I. Braumer sees countless amputated legs, men bleeding to death, or men struck with lice and hunger. Things such as this brings down morale in the troops and contribute to the much more prominent emotional trauma from war. Remarque starts off the novel by stating, “[The novel] will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war” (1). The emotional trauma from what is seen and experienced in the war affects you in and more importantly out of the war. A good example of this is when Braumer goes on leave back to his hometown. Everyone else is still feeling the patriotism from propaganda, but Braumer knows the reality of war and feels limited in what he can share with others. By the end of the novel, one of Braumer’s friends sees a cherry tree and tries to desert, resulting in him never being heard from again, all of Braumer’s friends are dead, and the Germans are painfully aware they are losing the war. Having to follow Braumer’s story through this bright eager nineteen year old kid with many friends, and ending the novel with a broken down Braumer who has lost everything and is aware he is fighting for nothing strongly conveys the results of what Braumer could have lived with if he
Therefore, novels like this are a very informative piece that adds to our historical understanding of events. Although the propaganda by his teacher is what leads Braumer to join the war, Braumer has many conflicts of understanding why they are his enemies when they have done nothing to him. Braumer and his crew constantly question why they are fighting in the war and how other soldiers are different than themselves. An example of this is when Braumer stabs the enemy soldier who comes into his shell hole. Braumer tries desperately to save the man, because he did not mean to stab him, he was only frightened from the artillery strikes and did not want to die. After the man dies a slow death, Braumer finds the man’s wallet and sees that he has a wife and children. Finally Braumer tells the dead man that he is only an enemy because people have told him the dead man is an …show more content…
The physical toll is all too obvious with many injured and dead in World War I. Braumer sees countless amputated legs, men bleeding to death, or men struck with lice and hunger. Things such as this brings down morale in the troops and contribute to the much more prominent emotional trauma from war. Remarque starts off the novel by stating, “[The novel] will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war” (1). The emotional trauma from what is seen and experienced in the war affects you in and more importantly out of the war. A good example of this is when Braumer goes on leave back to his hometown. Everyone else is still feeling the patriotism from propaganda, but Braumer knows the reality of war and feels limited in what he can share with others. By the end of the novel, one of Braumer’s friends sees a cherry tree and tries to desert, resulting in him never being heard from again, all of Braumer’s friends are dead, and the Germans are painfully aware they are losing the war. Having to follow Braumer’s story through this bright eager nineteen year old kid with many friends, and ending the novel with a broken down Braumer who has lost everything and is aware he is fighting for nothing strongly conveys the results of what Braumer could have lived with if he