Paul's Desensitized Character

Decent Essays
War always desensitizes people it is inevitable, this is seen within the character of Paul who even mentions desensitized many times himself while addressing himself and fellow soldiers. This trait is very significant for character development simply because if Paul stayed sensitive to certain things in war he would not have made it far enough to develop.

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It takes a lot of guts to make sacrifices and the effects of them can stay with you forever. Especially in war, Sacrifices are made on a daily basis to try and keep you alive and the people around you. Sometimes those sacrifices pertain to someone's life and that guilt can last a lifetime. In the story The Things They Carried, two soldiers turned good friends Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen were faced with a hard decision when Lee was struck with a mine. They made a pact that if one of them was to get really messed up, the other will get them out of it.…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Summary Of Paul's Case

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Pages

    The second thing that happened is Paul's new friend Joey in the new housing development in Florida is rudely confronted by Erik and his new friend Arthur. Some background knowledge is Paul's friend is Joey has an older brother named Mike Costello. Mike had just recently died due to lightning, and half of Mike's hair was burnt off and the other half still there. Erik and Arthur called him a Mohawk man. “…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Paul was also very easily irritated by the smallest things. “Paul was irritated with those he met when he was on leave and things that normally wouldn't have irritated him.” Associated with PTSD is alcoholism and at times substance abuse. Paul stated in the book that he "learned to drink in the army" (Remarque 164). Paul has no problem when drinking while on leave…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A perfect example of this is when Paul says “We are not youth any longer... We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces” (Remarque 87). Before the war they were youthfull teenagers, but after all the death and despair, that is no longer true. The men that they once were has been cut away by the violence. One of the first true losses of innocence for Paul is when a recruit is suffering and he says “Yes Kat we ought to put him out of his misery”(72).…

    • 534 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I feel like going through a bombardment would be traumatic enough but it is made worse by taking shelter under coffins and sifting through loose body parts. This is where I feel the book takes a darker turn. Paul now knows what it feels like to wonder whether or not he will live to see another day. I can only imagine what it would be like to have hear bombs going off near you. The only thing worse than that in my mind is the traumatic experience of taking…

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    1. In the second half of All Quiet on the Western Front, the soldiers return to the front after rumours of an attack. They are caught under heavy fire and their company of 150 men is reduced to only 32. Moreover, one of Paul’s friends, Haie Westhus, is killed after being stabbed during the attack.…

    • 1415 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Effects of War People who serve in wars are affected by them for the rest of their lives. In the fiction novel The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, it is explained through stories how the war can leave long lasting effects on people. Everyone is scarred by the war, but some have better ways of handling the trauma than others. Wars can change who you are. The Vietnam War had the effect of taking innocent young men and making them unstable.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Remarque 172-173). Reading quotes like this one provoke thought and emotion in the reader’s mind. Think about the thoughts and emotions that the soldiers felt as they witnessed an atrocity like in the above quote. Something as traumatic as such could cause the soldiers to develop post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder is a semi-treatable condition that Paul and his friends would have had to cope with because of their time spent fighting in World War One.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Tangerine is a great book full of mystery, friendship, suspense, and drama. Paul Fisher is a middle schooler that is irritated of his brother, Erik Fisher, being perceived as a caring older brother that is talented at playing football. Paul is the only person that knows the truth about his brother: Erik Fisher is a monstrous, dastardly, and heartless human being. When Paul and his family moved to Tangerine, Florida, he got a fresh start and a second chance at being socially accepted at school. Instead of being Eclipse Boy, he fit in to a group of his popular soccer teammates after joining the soccer team, called the War Eagles.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien: Emotional Burden of Death In the book “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien uses figurative language and symbolism to evoke certain emotions in readers and denote to the burden of death in the Vietnam War and the effects it had on soldiers. The story, at first, appears to be about the tools and equipment soldiers physically must carry during war and combat, but it’s not that simple. In war, soldiers deal with life changing experiences that they will carry emotionally for the remaining days of their lives. O’Brien has strong way of depicting this emotional challenge of death to people through his short story.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    War Dbq

    • 1612 Words
    • 7 Pages

    During the war the nations that compete for more and newer land only cause their old governments and land to die out. As Paul returns to home on temporary leave he notices that “[before the fighting he] still knew noting about the war. [He finds he does not] belong here anymore, it’s a foreign world” as he believes that since the war begun he does not recognizes his own town (Source A). Although Paul changed since the war begun he still finds himself unknown as if the war has caused damage to his own land where he slept ate, and showered in. The idea of war not only destroys the soldiers, but the land that they currently and used to stand on.…

    • 1612 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Annie's torment has a “chopping” affect on Paul both physically and mentally which leads him to become even more traumatized. To start Annie gets Paul addicted to pain medication. When Annie found Paul his legs were injured so he needed the medication but Annie never tried to ween him off the meds because she liked controll over Paul. When Paul disagreed with her or said something rude she with holds the medicine for him for hours which causes him tremendous pain from his injures and leaves his addicted brain wanting more of the meds. [quote].…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bolshevik Takeover Essay

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Years of the Great War and the Great Communist Takeover The four year span of World War I caused the death of nearly 8 million civilians alone, and left many more handicapped or injured. The Russian Bolshevik takeover started a revolution that Russia is still feeling to this day. Russia’s descending into the communist lifestyle and the overall devastation that came along with World War I jolted the world out of its comfort zone and propelled us into the modern age, whether we were ready for it, or not.…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Growing up and finding oneself is never easy, especially when outside sources pull one in various directions. Adolescence is a time where children search for their identity, to discover who they are and who they are meant to be. Many young people rebel and reject everything they are told they should do. In Paul’s Case and Two Kinds, both main characters feel pressure from others on how to live their lives. These stories examine two extremely different outcomes of the search to find oneself.…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After experiencing the death of his comrades and the destruction of land, Paul felt mentally injured/handicapped. He does not see a future for him without war; yet, he cannot remember his life before it. The longer he stayed, the more he hated the war and all it stood for. All these feelings reflect the author’s views on war and how he perceived the people who endured…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays