Erich Marie Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

Why does World War I stand out so much when compared to past wars? It is because World War I is the first modern occurrence of total war. Total war, as the name implies, takes over every aspect of the lives of the people involved, stretching farther than just the battlefield. This is what Paul Baumer finds himself thrust into, as he struggles to tread the line between giving his life, figuratively and literally, to the German army, and ensuring his personal survival and the survival of his best friends, throughout the course of Erich Marie Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. At home, Paul is unable to return to the comfort of his life before the war, but in battle, he must force himself through basic orders. Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front demonstrates how total war creates internal struggle within those who must fight in it. On the battlefield, Paul must force himself into compliance with basic …show more content…
Even though he is finally home, out of danger, Remarque doesn’t give Paul the same sense of security that was present before wartime. While he is taking in his home once again, the narrator says that he is “not myself”, and that there is “a veil between” him and his family (160). Remarque has used the war to change Paul emotionally, in the same way that it has for every single one of the other veterans involved. Later on, sitting in his bedroom, the changes make themselves apparent again. He reminisces about his childhood, when he was fascinated with books and the universes they contained, but trying to read them now, he says that “images float through my mind”, but instead of whisking him to an alternate world, “they do not grip me, they are mere shadows and memories” (172). By depriving Paul of the things he used to comfort himself with, Remarque is showing how total war is as psychologically destructive as it is