Analysis Of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front: An Account of the Destruction Caused by WWI

“It will simply try to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war” [Remarque]

World War I was, and still remains, one of the most devastating wars this planet has ever seen. While it may not have caused the same destruction to the land as World War II, the effect it had on those unfortunate enough to serve in the war was as great, if not greater, than any other war this planet has seen. Erich Maria Remarque was unfortunate enough to be one of the many drafted into service for World War I. His experiences in the war were the main influences for All Quite on the Western Front. Erich Maria Reqmarque’s
Many of the soldiers that fought in the war were volunteers who innocently entered to fight for their country. However a large portion of those soldiers survived long enough in the war to realize the senseless politics of their countrymen destroying their generation of men. (history.com) Remarque, along with many others, realized this and incorporated it into All Quiet on the Western Front many times, revealing that soldiers’ innocent following of their country was ruined by the horrors of the war. Upon returning home from the war Remarque learned that he was not alone in these feelings of hopelessness and lost feeling. In fact the vast majority of soldiers that survived the war felt just as he did (Henningfeld) These very feelings are one of the main influences to the idea of a loss of innocence as the soldiers felt destroyed by the war and could not fit in anywhere but war. Remarque also alluded to the fact that World War One, unlike other wars, caused more destruction to the minds of the youth who fought in it than it did to the landscape and countries it was fought in. (Henningfeld) The youth of the war were deprived of many of their late youth years when they were sent away to war and thus had no place to return to in society upon their return. Their experiences in the war made them physically unable to conform to the ways of society
While this sacrifice is in no way minor, the real tragedy of the war was the effect it had on the survivors. Many of the soldiers entered the war with a very bright future ahead of them. But then the war changed their lives forever. They came out of battle completely changed men with all aspects of their youth stolen from them and no skills that could benefit them outside the battlefield. Because of this trauma many soldiers suffered severe depression and could not find a place in society. What happened to this, lost generation is the real tragedy of the war and All Quiet on the Western Front does a good a job as can be done conveying that message to readers of all