All quiest on the Western Front
Paul Baumer is the main character, and the narrator in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. In the first few chapters Paul struggles to try to cope with his feelings towards the war. He repeatedly recalls his life before the war, where he used to write poetry and contemplate life. His memories before the war are ones of compassion and sensitivity towards all men. Before the war, he loved his family. As the novel thickens, Paul begins to question the war. He becomes cut off from humanity. It was stated in the book that he “shares feelings of love and loyalty with only his fellow soldiers.” Paul says that “only the facts are real and important to us.” These feelings are the opposite of Paul’s pre-war thoughts. Throughout the novel, Paul’s inner personality is contrasted with the way that he feels towards the war, and the way that the war makes him act. The anxiety, along with the horrors of war teaches Paul to learn how to disconnect from his feelings and his mind. He learns to keep his emotions at bay in order to preserve his sanity and stay alive. Consequently, Paul, a once sympathetic young man now becomes unable to allow himself to mourn all of his fellow soldiers and friends who have been killed. He is
The boys are taught that “patriotism requires suppressing individuality and personality, a sacrifice that civilians do not require of even the lowest class of servants.” They are trained by humiliation, but they realize that they need to be hardened in order to live through the war. also unable to feel at home among his family. He is unable to express his feelings about the war. He can’t talk about his experiences and he can’t remember the past fully. While having a discussion with his fellow soldiers, they realize that they can’t imagine life without war. They find it hard to be patriotic in times of war because “patriotism requires suppressing individuality and personality.” In the summer of 1918, Paul is the only living member of his original regime. He has managed to stay more or less healthy until now, when he inhales some deadly gas. He then gets to go home for fourteen days to recuperate. He became introverted and could not stop thinking about how the war has changed him. He wondered if his generation will reveal no living survivors from the war. Their disrespect of the army is shown when they attack one of their former corporals. This shows blatant disrespect and lack of patriotism. This is a turning point in the book because it shows that all patriotism and respect for the war is lost. The boys are tired of fighting, tired of being fought, and they want t he war to be over. When the boys got on the front, their feelings once again changed. Now they had to fight, so they fought. All that they cared about at this point was survival. The biggest worry that they had was who would inherit their boots. The front was an ugly, bloody mess.
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Approximate Word count = 1940
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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