Denisse Peralta Period 2 All Quiet on the Western Front is a very famous novel about World War I. Written by Erich Maria Remarque, a veteran of the WW1, the book was banned in Nazi Germany because Hitler believed it portrayed the Wehrmacht (German military forces) in a bad manner. The novel is in Paul Baumer, a 19 year old soldier’s point of view, who is persuaded by his schoolmaster to join the army. He is stationed in the western front where he witnesses the horror and brutality of the war. War previous to this book did not seem so bad by comparison- soldiers stabbed or shot, blood here and there.
All Quiet on the Western Front Through many movies and shows the world tries to portray “War” as something fun and exciting, or as if it was just a video game. In reality war is a much different story, even though it may be exciting at times and could provide a great educational opportunity. The book “All Quiet on the Western Front” shows just how chaotic a war could be. In the book Paul Baumer, the main character, and his fellow comrades have to endure in many dangerous battles and deal with the horrific conditions of warfare. Despite the constant threat of enemy fire, everyone there have to struggle for food, deal with the lack of trained replacement troops, and the large possibility of death.
Paul and his comrades enlist as fresh creatures of the world that change due to the abhorrence in World War One. The young men lose all hope of surviving through the novel because of the severe devastation they encounter. In the war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque exploits nature images such as, water, animals, and the earth, to exemplify the theme of the destructiveness of war. To begin, Remarque employs images of water to demonstrate the destructiveness of combat. For example, as he recognizes the uncertain feeling of claustrophobia setting in Paul describes how he, “views the front as a mysterious whirlpool.
He said his main concern was ‘war and the pity of war’ He felt it was his responsibility as a poet to tell the truth and bring to light to atrocities of modern warfare, in a way others could or would not. Once he had properly experienced war his poetry became a form of education, he wanted to expose the belief war was good and noble and prove wrong the propaganda that bombarded Britain. No knowledge, imagination or military training could properly prepare Owen for the reality of war and the suffering of front line experience it brought along with it. Within twelve days of arriving in France the ‘easy-going’ chatter of his letters turned to a ‘cry of anguish’. ‘The Sentry’ was written by Owen when he was receiving treatment at Craiglockhart in Edinburgh in 1917, finished in September later that year whilst in France.
This very blatant observation demonstrates Remarque’s point that war is simply gruesome. However, even though Remarque often points out the brutal blood bath that a battle can bring he also describes how cruel the army can be when they aren’t fighting anyone. When Paul and his friends are discussing how vicious superior officers such as Himmelstoss can be Kat explains how that came to be, “man is essentially a beast…the army is based on that; one man must always have power over the other. A non-com, can torment a private, a lieutenant a non-com, a captain a lieutenant, until he goes mad,” (Remarque 44). Kat describes the never ending cycle of abusive punishment that comes from a commanding officer making a man vengeful and in turn brutal to those he is superior to.
Only certain men are able to live through the filthy conditions of the hospital. Several are too weak and die from infection. Social Darwinism is everywhere, survival of the fittest. Towards the end of the movie, young soldier Paul Baumer, must go back to tell his best friend’s mother that her child is dead. However, he can’t bear to tell her the truth of her son’s awful, painful death.
Moreover, war only brought sadness to people if they lost their families in war. Many families are so devastated that they cannot even bear to open the letter. This message shows that war only brought sadness and families’ helpless. Therefore, “Yellow Ledbetter” is an anti-war song. Another thing they are in common is that they both are using first person.
Since the war it became common to find humanity as a point evaluation in art, evil in it’s essence considered being part of the human race. After all such atrocious war got to the mind of those involved in any way on it. A world in war got even the most fervent believers doubting their faith in their God(s) and respective religions. Consequently, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a religious allegory in which he used his characters and setting as a representation of biblical passages. Initially, Lord of the flies setting was described in such a way that mainly suggested it to be the Garden of Eden.
War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead” (How to Tell a True War Story para.91). This is how O’Brien generalized the war in the work of How to Tell a True War Story. From his work I find out why he said so. War is mystery, just like the sound which the soldiers caught.
Little did they know Kemmerich’s death marked the beginning of lost hope. Paul becomes faint, all at once and he could not do anything more. This is expressed by Erich Maria Remarque on page 31 of the novel. This is the response Paul displays over the news of his fellow country men’s death. Paul’s display of grief is emotionally charged, but much different than his first display of his feelings on the war where everyone was full of pride and arrogance.