All Quiet On The Western Front

1277 Words6 Pages
In general, most people can agree that war of any kind isn't pleasant. In fact, its a horrific event. The tole a war can take on any given person is tremendous. Obviously there's the physical aspect of war - running, climbing, lifting, suffering injuries – but it's the effect war can have on ones mind that makes it so devastating. You're body can take the rigors of physical training and you're body will recover from injury, but what you take from an experience such as WWI stays strong in your mind. Erich Remarque's book titled All Quiet on the Western Front uncovers the harsh reality of war. Of course the tragedy that comes with war cannot be understood unless you have experienced it first hand but in his book, Remarque tries to portray the life of a German Soldier. There are a few different possible messages that the author, Erich Remarque, is trying to convey. I think the most obvious message is that the life of German soldiers was more horrifying than you might think. Most of the time you hear of heroic acts done by the winning side. Seldom are the sickening details of what the other people faced revealed. In addition to the main message, I believe the author wants the readers to realize that these soldiers not only endured physical pain but also emotional and psychological problems that they were left to deal with their entire life. That is, if they survived. This book focuses mainly on a specific group of young men that voluntarily enlist. The young men were recruited right out of high school so they have experienced little and have much to learn. These men didn't realize it then, but the transition from a carefree high school student to a soldier on the western front was going to be painfully difficult. They are told to forget about everything and focus solely on being a soldier. “We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with
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