Direct and impactful experiences are the only way to completely uncover the truth of situations. In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Bäumer, a young German schoolboy-turned-soldier, exposes the reality of fighting in WWI. Like many others, Paul’s teacher, Mr. Kantorek, coerced Paul and his classmates into enlisting by fixating on the heroism of soldiers and the honor of serving one’s country. On the frontlines, Paul experiences firsthand the truth of the damage and destruction that directly contrasts what he was taught. Those outside the war have difficulty focusing on anything other than the success of their nation in battle. This confidence, while uplifting for them, is blind. In his experiences, Paul quickly
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During a days-long bombardment, the soldiers “put the dead in a large shell-hole. So far there are three layers, one on top of the other” (128). The troops do not have the luxury of the time to give each of their comrades a proper, individual burial. As the deaths pile up, the men have to look to the quickest and simplest way to dispose of the bodies. They just need to move on as quickly as possible and remain unfazed by everything around them. While in the same bombardment, Pauls says he and his comrades are exhausted, “But we are swept forward again, powerless, madly savage, and raging; we will kill, for they are still our mortal enemies, their rifles and bombs, and aimed against us, and if we don’t destroy them, they will destroy us” (115). The soldiers are forced to demolish their attackers in order to continue living. If they hesitate for a moment, they will be killed; thoughtless self-defense is the only path to survival. The men are turned into rabid animals- being in such dangerous chaos demands from them decision making with their most basic impulses. After years of ruthless fighting, Paul finally dies; on that day, “the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front” (296). The brutal massacres in combat is so boundless that the day of Paul’s death is considered tranquil. He is just one individual in a sea of hundreds of thousands, his decease is not felt. Paul dies a hero, but so did every other murdered soldier; he is not any different from the men whose demises came before him. The soldiers see so much death everyday that they become desensitized to it, but nothing can ever truly justify the war to
During a days-long bombardment, the soldiers “put the dead in a large shell-hole. So far there are three layers, one on top of the other” (128). The troops do not have the luxury of the time to give each of their comrades a proper, individual burial. As the deaths pile up, the men have to look to the quickest and simplest way to dispose of the bodies. They just need to move on as quickly as possible and remain unfazed by everything around them. While in the same bombardment, Pauls says he and his comrades are exhausted, “But we are swept forward again, powerless, madly savage, and raging; we will kill, for they are still our mortal enemies, their rifles and bombs, and aimed against us, and if we don’t destroy them, they will destroy us” (115). The soldiers are forced to demolish their attackers in order to continue living. If they hesitate for a moment, they will be killed; thoughtless self-defense is the only path to survival. The men are turned into rabid animals- being in such dangerous chaos demands from them decision making with their most basic impulses. After years of ruthless fighting, Paul finally dies; on that day, “the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front” (296). The brutal massacres in combat is so boundless that the day of Paul’s death is considered tranquil. He is just one individual in a sea of hundreds of thousands, his decease is not felt. Paul dies a hero, but so did every other murdered soldier; he is not any different from the men whose demises came before him. The soldiers see so much death everyday that they become desensitized to it, but nothing can ever truly justify the war to