All Quiet On The Western Front Chapter 23 Summary

Chapter Seven:
The Second Company is sent somewhere to reorganize their group. Himmelstoss apologizes to the men for being such a mean person because he feels bad, as he has now been on the front. Paul, Leer, and Kropp go for a swim and meet three women. The men swim across the canal during the night and carry their boots and some food. Paul gets to go home for leave, but it isn’t the same as he thought it would be. His mom is sick with cancer and he doesn’t feel “at home”. One day, when Paul is walking on the street, a major becomes angry because Paul doesn’t salute him. He forces Paul to march in the street, and Paul abides. He starts wearing civilian clothing to avoid future encounters like these. Paul’s father is curious about his time at war and asks a lot of questions. Paul feels as
They barely think anymore, because that is the only way to survive. Paul thinks that the men reduce themselves to animals because instinct is the best way to survive. This allows the men to keep their sanity. In sharing the general experience of war, all of the comrades are very close with one another. One day Deterring goes crazy, picking a branch from the cherry blossom tree, thinking of his own trees at home. He tries to escape (to go home) one day and is instead captured and tried in the army military. Paul knows it was just a momentary break of sanity and homesickness, but those who are trying him do not. Muller is shot and dies a painful death— Paul takes Kemmerich’s shoes from him. The war continues, getting worse and worse for the Germans. More young recruits are received, but they die very quickly, because they aren’t skilled at all. Kat is wounded when getting back from a food trip, and because he’s Paul's last friend in the army, Paul carries him to help. When Paul gets there, he thinks he has saved Kat, but Kat had actually been hit in the back of the head with shell fragments on the way there, and is