The effects of World War I were felt worldwide during 1914 to 1918. It did not only affect the countries that were participating in it; it also affected those who were not. Erich Maria Remarque crafts an excellent account of World War I in All Quiet on the Western Front, in which the brutality of the war when it was being fought is portrayed through Paul Baumer, a soldier’s, eyes. The high casualty and death rate of young German soldiers and the negative impact of the war on the German society contributed to the changing views of the War for soldiers in combat because it gave them a new perspective on the way they saw their future and the world. Paul and his friends had a different opinion of the war after they saw what destruction it could
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Those who returned home after fighting in the war who did not suffer a physical casualty suffered from mental and emotional instability. Although Paul did not leave the war for good when he went back home to visit, his actions and thoughts showed that he was greatly affected by his experiences; he seemed to already be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is evident because he felt depressed and was unable to stifle a smile when he finally saw his family again. Moreover, he felt he had lost connection with his mother who he failed to feel comfortable speaking with. Another symptom he showed was avoiding speaking about the war with his father who interrogated him. Paul suffered from these symptoms of PTSD, which include depression, avoiding thoughts related to the traumatic event and a feeling of detachment from his family (Ehrlich, Steven D., University of Maryland Medical Center). His disconnection from others was due to the fact that no one would understand what he had gone through and seen, which was millions of deaths. The War had impacted the happiness of his family, and thus it depressed him even more to discover that his mother has cancer. Being the soldier who fought for his own country greatly affected Paul’s mind because he was a relatively young man. Even though not all of Paul’s friends were young, they were all affected
Those who returned home after fighting in the war who did not suffer a physical casualty suffered from mental and emotional instability. Although Paul did not leave the war for good when he went back home to visit, his actions and thoughts showed that he was greatly affected by his experiences; he seemed to already be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is evident because he felt depressed and was unable to stifle a smile when he finally saw his family again. Moreover, he felt he had lost connection with his mother who he failed to feel comfortable speaking with. Another symptom he showed was avoiding speaking about the war with his father who interrogated him. Paul suffered from these symptoms of PTSD, which include depression, avoiding thoughts related to the traumatic event and a feeling of detachment from his family (Ehrlich, Steven D., University of Maryland Medical Center). His disconnection from others was due to the fact that no one would understand what he had gone through and seen, which was millions of deaths. The War had impacted the happiness of his family, and thus it depressed him even more to discover that his mother has cancer. Being the soldier who fought for his own country greatly affected Paul’s mind because he was a relatively young man. Even though not all of Paul’s friends were young, they were all affected