The Western

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…

All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Remarque is a bestselling classic that portrays a powerful anti-war message to all readers. The protagonist Paul Baumer is sent to the front line of WW1 and faces many challenges along the way. Remarque uses these challenges to warn the reader of the devastating effects of war. Paul and his comrades face the physical and psychological horrors, becoming a lost generation, and begin to question why they are there and who they are fighting. Along with…

Q2. In this book All Quiet on the Western Front, the men are changed physically, mentally, and emotionally. The impact these changes bring upon each man is drastic, this is their new way of life. Once they have experienced what they have, there would be no going back. In the book, Paul Bäumer struggles with the reality of not being able o relate back to his old home because the war had changed him so much. Paul Bäumer was not the only man who would be changed, many of his close friends would be…

humans bring onto themselves. War has been fought throughout history to solve problems; however, much to their disappointment, humans have experienced war as creating more complications rather than eliminating them. In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich…

One of the major themes of All Quiet on the Western Front was the brutality of the war. Throughout the book, there were numerous times depicting what war was actually like, not what it was made out to be by the commanders behind the front line. The war brought strangers together and friends even closer. The comradeship that happens during the book is in direct result of how much the brutality of the war has caused. With the increasing brutality of the war, we’ve seen the increase of camaraderie…

during their lifetimes. Both Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, and O’Brien, author of In the Field, write from the perspectives of a veteran that fought in a war. In All Quiet on the Western Front and In the Field, common themes of the horrors of war, the lost generation, and symbolism are presented by Remarque and O’Brien with ease. In both, the stories the authors utilize the horrors of war. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the use of flamethrowers is prominent as the…

In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, the most prominent symbol are Kemmerich’s boots. The boots symbolize more than one aspect in the novel, which develops into major theme. The footwear can symbolize death, the sacrifice of emotions during war, and cheapness of life in the battlefield. Once the soldier Kemmerich dies, his boots are taken and worn by Müller, then worn by Paul, the protagonist of the story. Müller’s time with the boots were short and dies painfully.…

Baumer to many is a of many traits; but when it comes to war he’s caring, a man scarred from war, and a brother to his comrades. When it came to his comrades, Baumer would do anything for them; they were apart of him that could never be left for dead. When in need of help, their voices “are more to [him] than life,”; they are the “most comforting thing there is” (Remarque 212). They have developed a brotherhood so strong that not even his relationship with his family compares to it. During his…

All Quiet on the Western Front gives a nineteen-year-old boy's testimony of war. Paul Bäumer enlisted in the German army on the French front in World War I. Entering the army a young German patriot, eager to fight – thanks to his teacher’s stirring speeches –, Bäumer soon realizes he knew nothing about war but clichés. In the company of his schoolmates, he faces the constant physical terror and mental damage of true war and trench warfare. Erich Maria Remarque – born Erich Paul Remarque – was…

Written by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front tells the cold truth about being a soldier in World War I. This book was originally published in 1929 by Propyläen Verlag, and it was one of the first war books that did not portray war as glory-filled, but as it truly was, grim, bleak, and bloody. Throughout the book, it is clear how big of an impact the war has on the soldiers, it changes the way the soldiers view human life, how the war makes it very difficult for them to return…