hardships of Paul Baumer, a nineteen year old student, and his friends as.
they are dehumanized in the war. Paul was convinced to enlist with the.
German army by his schoolmaster, Kantorek. Along with many of his.
friends from school, he is trained under Corporal Himmelstoss. Paul's.
corporal is a strictly disciplined commander who dislikes Paul because of.
his defiance. .
The first dehumanizing encounter was using the latrines with no.
doors and twenty other men. Paul said, "I well remember how.
embarrassed we were as recruits in barracks when we had to use the.
general latrine."3 When Paul was sent to the front, along with his other.
friends, new friendships where made that would last throughout time. .
Paul's new friend was his commander, Stanislaus Katczinsky. Katczinsky,.
or Kat, was forty years old and known as a wise old man as well as a friend.
to the eighteen and nineteen year old recruits. .
Paul was given a fourteen day leave so he could visit his ill mother at.
home. After this leave he is sent back to training and then back to the.
front. It takes him a while to find his unit because he finds out that they.
where reassigned to another area. In the search for his unit he is reunited.
with his friends and joins up with them on the war efforts. Paul finds.
himself trapped in a shell hole for a long night while searching in "no mans.
land." During the night a French soldier falls in the hole and Paul has to.
stab him. The hours to come are very hard for Paul as he comforts and.
waits for the Frenchman to die; this is one of the major examples of Paul.
becoming dehumanized. .
His group soon has a stroke of good luck when they were assigned.
to defend a village. Sense the village was vacant they were allowed to go.
through the houses and take and use whatever they wanted. Their luck.
ran out when one day the French came and started to shell the village. .
Paul and his friend Albert Kropp where injured, while trying to escape, by.