Review: All Quiet On The Western Front

The Horrors of War on the Front In “All Quiet on the Western Front” Erich Maria Remarque a German veteran describes the harsh events that happened in WWI. The main character Paul Baumer narrates his story of what happened on the Western Front. Paul and several friends decided to join the army right out of high school at the young age of 19. In the beginning, Paul and his comrades were excited to join the army because they had been given speeches about patriotism, in time they realized that war was not what they thought. The horrors of war became their reality, from the constant losses of comrades to the filthy living conditions in the trenches, they realized any moment could be their last. Paul describes how war changes a person, even after trying to suppress their emotions, the shock they suffered was real. Remarque uses setting, characterization, and Imagery to show how war took the lives of
many young men although they may have never truly died. The setting of All Quiet is important to understanding how horrific, and miserable it was for the soldiers. The setting was almost entirely on the battlefield. The trench life was miserable. Bombs were constantly going off and sounded like thunder for days, water was scarce, and moldy bread was usually all they had for food. The moldy bread and dead carcasses began to attract the rats.“ “We must look out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition”(pg. 101-102). Paul talks about fighting of the rats and having to hide their bread. The constant decay and filth made the trenches unbearable. Places that they thought would bring them a sense of safety such as the hospitals also ended up being a disappointment. Many of the health care providers were incompetent, and during recovery time could be their enemy. Although, there were settings that were less like a nightmare. The make shift home Paul and his friends made in a basement far from the enemy lines brought them a moment of peace. They would eat good there and also get to smoke. Also, when Paul went home he had a warm bed, books, and food, but he began to realize that home was no longer that feeling and he begun to miss his comrade family. Furthermore, Remarque uses Imagery to help show the audience the horrors of war. In the beginning Paul speaks of the brand new feeling of war, like when he said ““And so everything is new and brave, red poppies and good food, cigarettes and summer breeze” (Pg. 10). Everything in the beginning was new and things seem to be not so bad. As the novel goes on reality starts to settle in and everything that once seemed to be okay starts to deteriorate. Even places that they thought would be safe had a negative environment as expressed by Paul: “In the dressing station, there is great activity: it reeks as ever of carbolic, pus, and swear. We are accustomed to a good deal in the billets, but this, makes us feel faint “(pg. 13). Scenes like this helps the reader create not only an image but smells. Towards the end of the novel you can really see the type of effect the war had on Paul he was subjected to constant physical danger:
“Whenever I hear a shell coming I drop down on one knee with the pan and the pancakes, and duck behind the wall of the windows.” (pg. 235) I believe Remarque used Imagery, to paint a picture of the shock that effects these young soldiers. Finally, Remarque uses the characterization of Paul to show the effects of war on a young soldier. First he shows Paul as an eager young student enthusiastic to join the army with his friends. They were swept with patriotism by a teacher. He has a good home life, with love for his family and writing. With little direction, he decided to join the army and went off to war. As the story goes on, Paul begins to realize that war was not what they made him believe him in school. As he becomes a man at war his innocence begin to change and he starts to detach himself from his feelings in order to preserve his sanity. In the novel Paul states “we have become wild beasts"(113). He is implying that being a solider makes them desperate and willing to do anything for survival. When he returns home he is unable to speak of war, and he is also unable to see a future without war. War destroyed him long before he died. He died October 1918, Finally able to rest, “ Turning him over one saw that he could not have suffered long; his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come” ( pg. 296). As a result, Remarque wanted to show how damaging war was, not as a confession nor an adventure as he stated in the beginning of his book, for death was not an adventure especially for those who faced it every day.
Not much was known of Remarque’s actual experience in the war, he was said to have served on the front and had a few injuries. Remarque wrote All Quiet in a short six weeks, the book sold 640,000 copies in only three months. The critic response was both positive and negative. It was considered ‘The greatest of all war novels’ and like a ‘war diary’. The novel was also defined as propaganda and an insult to the German army. Never less, Remarque’s main assertion was to show how damaging the war was on the young men and how they never truly escaped its horrors. Nigel Hunts reflected “The war has fully taken over for the young men there is no future other than the war because there are no memories of adulthood from before the war” (pg. 3). Those young boys who became men during war would never see anything beyond it, and would begin to forget everything before
war.