Shadows of Glory 
Shadows of Glory
Within the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the author Erich Maria Remarque captures the transforming essence of battle amidst the Great War, and how once-ignorant adolescents become part of the Lost Generation. A key character, Paul Baümer, reflects upon his perception of the war, “We are not youth any longer. We don’t want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces” (88). Initially, the young, energetic soldiers alongside Paul romanticize the idea of warfare and the possibility of heroism. However, while experiencing life on the front, emotions of terror and anguish discolor their views and lead to a detachment from their natural inclinations in order to cope. Before Paul and his companions enlist in the German Army, their fantasy of the gallantry and adventure in combat is further intensified by the patriotism of their childhood instructors. After discovering the harsh reality of war, he cannot shake off his feelings of betrayal from those he looked up to. As Paul recalls the horror experienced after witnessing the death of his friend, Behm, he begins to recognize his own feelings of disillusionment.
While they continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards—they were free with all these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see. And we saw that there was nothing of their world left. We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through. (13)
At this point, Paul develops awareness of the deep isolation that pervades throughout World War I, although he is constantly
Within the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the author Erich Maria Remarque captures the transforming essence of battle amidst the Great War, and how once-ignorant adolescents become part of the Lost Generation. A key character, Paul Baümer, reflects upon his perception of the war, “We are not youth any longer. We don’t want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces” (88). Initially, the young, energetic soldiers alongside Paul romanticize the idea of warfare and the possibility of heroism. However, while experiencing life on the front, emotions of terror and anguish discolor their views and lead to a detachment from their natural inclinations in order to cope. Before Paul and his companions enlist in the German Army, their fantasy of the gallantry and adventure in combat is further intensified by the patriotism of their childhood instructors. After discovering the harsh reality of war, he cannot shake off his feelings of betrayal from those he looked up to. As Paul recalls the horror experienced after witnessing the death of his friend, Behm, he begins to recognize his own feelings of disillusionment.
While they continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards—they were free with all these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see. And we saw that there was nothing of their world left. We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it through. (13)
At this point, Paul develops awareness of the deep isolation that pervades throughout World War I, although he is constantly