In Why War?—a series of correspondence between him and Albert Einstein—Sigmund Freud argues that war is solution for the societal elite to accomplish their goals without getting directly involved in conflict. Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front echoes the sentiments and ideas expressed by Sigmund Freud. Freud states that war is an inevitable process towards the progression of society at the cost of individuality, and his sentiments can be seen through Remarque’s portrayal of his characters and their reactions to their situation. In his response to Albert Einstein’s question as to why humans, who have created multiple technological and societal innovations, still engage in violent fighting, Freud states that conflict is directly
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While Freud’s ideas are somewhat harder to envision and follow due to their theoretical nature, Remarque is able to portray these themes clearly because they come to life through the use of characters and plot development. The idea of an institution being used by the ruling class to propagate war comes to life through Kantorek, and the prospect of humans hurting others as a show of power is portrayed the Himmelstoss. These characters, among others, become faces that a reader can use to identify the theories Freud proposes, and more importantly, recognize war at its inception. Because Remarque used imagery to make personify Freud’s ideas, it should be easier to now distinguish the early signs of potentially long-lasting conflict, and put a stop to its progression. Freud explains that war threatens to erase mankind’s compassion, and that preventing war whenever possible also prevents the dehumanization of humanity, and the desensitization of death as well. In the interest of preserving the accomplishments of society, and preventing a regression to the primitive conditions humanity has risen above, war should be avoided, and following the template Remarque has provided makes this task
While Freud’s ideas are somewhat harder to envision and follow due to their theoretical nature, Remarque is able to portray these themes clearly because they come to life through the use of characters and plot development. The idea of an institution being used by the ruling class to propagate war comes to life through Kantorek, and the prospect of humans hurting others as a show of power is portrayed the Himmelstoss. These characters, among others, become faces that a reader can use to identify the theories Freud proposes, and more importantly, recognize war at its inception. Because Remarque used imagery to make personify Freud’s ideas, it should be easier to now distinguish the early signs of potentially long-lasting conflict, and put a stop to its progression. Freud explains that war threatens to erase mankind’s compassion, and that preventing war whenever possible also prevents the dehumanization of humanity, and the desensitization of death as well. In the interest of preserving the accomplishments of society, and preventing a regression to the primitive conditions humanity has risen above, war should be avoided, and following the template Remarque has provided makes this task