Rainer Maria Rilke

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…

The character of youth is debatable. To some, youth is a state of carefree naivete. To others, youth is a state of savagery, the condition of humankind before they are tamed by civilization and order. In All Quiet in the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the protagonists are 20 year old young men with no life experience. They are characterized by a sense of cluelessness to the world’s cruelties and vigor for life. Tragically, the youths’ innocence is what causes them to be susceptible to…

From 1914-1918, one of the bloodiest wars in all of human history waged on. Erich Maria Remarque illustrates this reality in All Quiet on the Western Front. The novel follows a young soldier, Paul and his journey from a naive schoolboy to a hardened, experienced soldier, this change is seen quite drastically through the novel. Change is something that is unavoidable, especially in times of war. In Paul Baumer, this change is seen in his changing emotional connection to the war and his views…

Erich Maria Remarque is perhaps one of the greatest German novelists in the early twentieth century. He was born on June 22, 1898, in Osnabruck, Germany. He received U.S. citizenship in 1947, but preferred to live in Europe until he died on September 25, 1970, in Locarno, Switzerland at the age of seventy-two. His famous novel All Quiet on the Western Front was first published in 1928 in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung and published in a book form later in 1929. Because of the nature of…

Death by Instincts: An Examination of Soldiers Turning Towards their Animal Halves Out in the wild animals rely on their instincts to survive, either escaping from a predator or fighting for their lives. In WWI, humans often turned over their consciousness to these animal instincts to keep alive and win their fight. While this exchange seemed to keep them alive, it actually killed the soldiers internally. These soldiers’ mental undoing were documented after WWI in All Quiet on the Western Front…

The Character of Elwin Lepellier in John Knowles’s A Separate Peace In the novel A Separate Peace written by John Knowles, Elwin Lepellier, known as Leper, is one of the main characters who are greatly affected by the World War II. The novel is written from the perspective of a protagonist, Gene Forrester, who struggles with envy and hatred within himself as well as against his roommate, Phineas at Devon High School. Although there is a severe war outside of Devon, the students are isolated…

intertwines back and forth between the warfront and the camp where Baumer stays. Once during the novel, Baumer goes home on leave, but the setting quickly deteriorates to the warfront. The only additional setting in the novel is in the hospital. Erich Maria Remarque did a great job at showing the reader a clear picture of what went on in the perspective of Paul, as I continued to read I began to have a better understanding of how he and his fellow soldiers interacted together. This book allowed…

In the book Crossing Stones by Helen Frost the author depicts very strong opinions of war, and how it is portrayed in American Society. The author sees war as a waste of time, lives, and money. She depicts this by having most the characters learn from Muriel’s negative views about the war. Muriel’s views show the harsh reality of war instead of pretending that it is a glamorous event where young men are constantly honored and praised for their sacrifice. The author feels that glamorizing the war…

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, is a story about war and the lost generation told through the perspective of a soldier. Some books attempt to romanticize or cover up the true face of war, but, All Quiet on the Western Front is an example of what being on the trenches was actually like. Throughout the story, Paul goes through many struggles equally physically and mentally scarring. All Quiet on the Western Front is an excellent demonstration of the Lost Generation because…

Literary Thesis Es6say “Greed does not rest until satisfied and greed is never satisfied.” This quote by Sam Eastland describes that people always have greed, even if it is a small amount. The book The Pearl a poor fisherman names Kino finds a huge pearl. Many people want the pearl that kino has. A first, Kino wants the pearl to cure his baby Coyotito from a scorpion sting but ends up wanting it more for materialistic things. Greed left unchecked can lead to immoral behavior because of the…