Dehumanization In All Quiet On The Western Front
In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front the meaning of desensitization is manifested through the ability to have a tender heart is vilified. The brutally inhumane experiences the participants face demonstrate how war does not allow for and eminently discourages having a tender heart.
The experience of war tends to strip a person of their humanity and natural human empathy and when the realization of such becomes palpable there is a desperate want or need to feel something. Although already arduous as it is having a tender-hearted nature causes the situation to be vastly more difficult. For this very reason philanthropic expression is dissuaded so that one does not get lost in the callousness created by war. This lack of feeling that combat dispels makes it difficult to connect with the old feelings they left for war with. War makes attaining such virtually impossible. When Paul attends his …show more content…
Without the needed protection against falling victim to the mental and physical suffering the barbaric war inflicts they become consumed with the fear and worries of war. This reason is what demonstrates how war does not allow for and eminently discourages having a tender heart. The defect of tenderheartedness is accentuated by war and specifically portrayed most often by recruits as they become accustomed to the war. Most start out utterly terrified and unable to contain the fear which is shown through a recruit who “has buried his face in his hands, his helmet has fallen off...like a child creeps under my arm his head close to my breast. The little shoulders heave”(61). His tenderheartedness has caused him to be depleted by the atrocity of war to the point where “his helmet has fallen off” therefore putting himself in danger, which further supports the reasoning for why altruism is
The experience of war tends to strip a person of their humanity and natural human empathy and when the realization of such becomes palpable there is a desperate want or need to feel something. Although already arduous as it is having a tender-hearted nature causes the situation to be vastly more difficult. For this very reason philanthropic expression is dissuaded so that one does not get lost in the callousness created by war. This lack of feeling that combat dispels makes it difficult to connect with the old feelings they left for war with. War makes attaining such virtually impossible. When Paul attends his …show more content…
Without the needed protection against falling victim to the mental and physical suffering the barbaric war inflicts they become consumed with the fear and worries of war. This reason is what demonstrates how war does not allow for and eminently discourages having a tender heart. The defect of tenderheartedness is accentuated by war and specifically portrayed most often by recruits as they become accustomed to the war. Most start out utterly terrified and unable to contain the fear which is shown through a recruit who “has buried his face in his hands, his helmet has fallen off...like a child creeps under my arm his head close to my breast. The little shoulders heave”(61). His tenderheartedness has caused him to be depleted by the atrocity of war to the point where “his helmet has fallen off” therefore putting himself in danger, which further supports the reasoning for why altruism is