Summary: All Quiet On The Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front is by Erich Maria Remarque. This book was an extraordinary war story. Remarque uses excellent words and phrases to describe crucial details of the book. Remarque had first hand experience because he was a German in World War I. So he expresses his opinions through Paul the main character of the book. One of the strongest themes in this book is that war makes man inhuman. From the author's point of view soldiers was often compared to various nonliving objects that were inhuman. The soldiers are compared to coins of different provinces that are melted down and now they bear the same stamp(236). Remarque thinks that the soldiers mind state has been changed from when they were school boys the stamp being the
mark of a soldier changing them forever. Also soldiers are compared with "automatons" or more commonly referred to as robots(105). Remarque uses this analogy to give the impression that the soldiers are enduring the same feeling over and over again as if they were inhuman. In this classic war story Remarque also describes the soldiers as inhuman wild beast in addition to the nonliving objects. Paul states that when soldiers reach the zone where the front begins they are transformed into "instant inhuman animals"(56). Remarque is saying that the zone is like a magical line; once they cross it there not the same person as they were on the other side of the line. He says "We have become wild beasts. We do not fight we defend ourselves against annihilation"(103). Here Remarque states that the German soldiers are only defending what they have not attempting to take what they don't. Paul says that they become something like men again after they get the food we need(106). Remarque is implying that the drive for food changes them into terrifying wild beasts but when they get the food they change back into humans again.
mark of a soldier changing them forever. Also soldiers are compared with "automatons" or more commonly referred to as robots(105). Remarque uses this analogy to give the impression that the soldiers are enduring the same feeling over and over again as if they were inhuman. In this classic war story Remarque also describes the soldiers as inhuman wild beast in addition to the nonliving objects. Paul states that when soldiers reach the zone where the front begins they are transformed into "instant inhuman animals"(56). Remarque is saying that the zone is like a magical line; once they cross it there not the same person as they were on the other side of the line. He says "We have become wild beasts. We do not fight we defend ourselves against annihilation"(103). Here Remarque states that the German soldiers are only defending what they have not attempting to take what they don't. Paul says that they become something like men again after they get the food we need(106). Remarque is implying that the drive for food changes them into terrifying wild beasts but when they get the food they change back into humans again.