All Quiet On The Western Front Loss Of Innocence Essay

How does the extreme hardship and conflict of war affect an individual? War always takes a toll on the individual and leaves drastic changes to the human soul; this loss of innocence is a recurring motif and major theme throughout the novel. Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the greatest war novels of all time. The story follows the protagonist, Paul Baumer, a young, artistic boy who enlists into the German army in World War I and challenges the false glorification of war. Throughout the story Paul repeatedly faces horrifying experiences and by the end of the novel, he is left both physically and mentally broken without the identity of his former self. In order to convey this, Remarque -- a war veteran himself-- highlights how Paul has been stripped of his not only his innocence, but humanity, purpose, creative spirit, and ability to relate to society.

Remarque is also able to convey the loss of innocence theme by showing the newfound disconnect between Paul and society. Paul, who has seen the death and depravity of the front, has become completely unable to relate to civilian society. Before the war, Paul was a civilian who connected well with his family and society. Now
The trauma of warfare entails a loss of purpose, humanity, emotion, and connection to society, all of which lead up to a loss of identity. The brutality of war robbed Paul Balmer of all of these essential connections, to his own identity, the artistic, innocent youth. By destroying the basic elements of Paul’s self, war has obliterated his innocence. This is how war and turmoil. So long as war suppresses these basic elements of the self, the affected individuals remain shells of their former selves. The bottom line that Remarque wanted to convey with this writing is that war wrecks havoc and causes irreparable damages to one’s