Character Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front

The Great War, also known as World War I, is a defining moment in Europe’s history. Its aftermath consists of the demolition of Germany’s economy, the rise of Adolf Hitler, and the loss of an entire generation of young men who were sent into combat. All Quiet on the Western Front chronicles the experiences of Paul Baumer, a 19-year old student who volunteers for the military during World War I along with his classmates Muller and Kropp. They are compelled to enlist by Kantorek, their fiercely patriotic but misguided schoolmaster. Paul’s life in the military is told in short entries that reveal the reality of war: horrifying battles, violence, alienation, emotional indifference. His accounts of war are personal and emotional, and the bleak tone

In All Quiet On the Western Front, the protagonist, Paul Baumer faces the battle front in World War I, which brings out his fear of death. In the book, Paul is 20 year old German soldier who is called to fight in World War I. He is joined by many of his childhood friends such as, Tjaden, Kemmerich, Muller, Kat, Kantorek, Haie, Kropp, and Detering. Throughout the book, Paul’s group of friends die and he is the last one standing of his group. Additionally, Paul gains new experiences from the war such as guarding the prisoners of war. Paul learns a lot about his enemies through this. Additionally, Paul killed a man in battle, which made him feel terribly guilty. Since the war was very traumatizing, Paul, his friends and the other comrades bond,

He illustrates the mental transformation that the soldiers undergo during battle, saying, “By the animal instinct that is awakened in us…we reach the zone where the front begins and become on the instant human animals” (27). As soon as they hear gunshots, these young men go from being cheerful or gloomy, to pumping adrenaline, swelling fear, and the need to survive. In a war that isn’t tangible to them, that leaves them feeling useless like pegs on a game board, the only motivation they have is not dying. “We do not fight,” Paul explains, “we defend ourselves against annihilation” (48). At one point when he gets close enough in battle to see French soldiers—actual, touchable enemies—he then feels the anger and becomes violent. “We can see his face…we can oppose him; we feel a mad anger. No longer do we lie helpless” (54). Finally, Paul cannot take the loss of his close friends. Some of them lose their legs, and the majority of them die in front of his very eyes. Just witnessing even the enemy’s death is overwhelming. Hence, the men turn off all feelings, for the burden is simply too much to carry. “We have lost all feeling for one another…We are insensible, dead men, who through some trick, some dreadful magic, are still able to run and to kill”

Paul says, “And men will not understand us, for the generations that grew up before us, though it has passed these years with us already had a fame and a calling; now it will return to its old occupations, and the war will be forgotten--and the generation that has grown up before us will be strange to us and will push us aside. we will be superfluous even to ourselves, we will grow older, a few will adapt themselves, some others will merely submit and most will be bewildered; -- the years will pass by and in the end we shall fall into ruin. "(p.294). This shows how the older generation has a life to go back to after war, but his entire life is consumed by war. Paul says, "Trenches, hospitals, the common grave--there are no other possibilities.

The conditions Paul is exposed after enlisting in the army are treacherous, and are detrimental to his fate. Paul describes these conditions, ”we see men without mouths, without jaws, without faces; we find one man who has held the artery of his arm in his teeth for two Orange ders in order not to bleed to death. The sun goes down, night comes, the shells whine, life is at an end”(Remarque

Erich Maria Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front has successfully proven its importance and has greatly influenced many reader's opinions on war. The remarkable novel demonstrates that the destruction of war affects beyond just the physical level. It delves into the tragic experiences soldiers face during wartime and shows the consequences of war. The most important consequence of war that Remarque displays is the idea of lost generation. This is a significant theme as it occurs throughout the novel. Paul Baumer and his fellow companions share their ideas on war, experiences, and how the war has affected them and their generation through dialect. This gives readers a realistic insight of what it is like to be a soldier during World

This brings back one of the key themes in the novel of how the war affects soldiers. It also baffles me how Paul states he would not waver throwing a bomb at his own father and yet when he looked into the eyes of a stranger he vacillated for a moment.

War means sacrificing and dedicating your whole life and soul for your country. In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque, demonstrates through a group of young individuals, who all volunteer their hard work for war. The main characters are Paul, Tjaden, Muller, Kropp, Leer, Westhus, Deterring, Kemmerich, Behm, Kanortek and Himmelstoss. This group of teenagers is not like your typical group of teenagers. At first glance, teenagers appear to be immature and not knowledgeable about serious matters such as war. But on a closer inspection, this group of individuals, particularly Paul Baumer presents a value within himself that drives him to be successful and sacrifice his entire life and childhood for his country.

The novel All Quiet on the Western Front exhibits how war breaks man out his shell and the destructiveness it brings. Throughout the novel, the experience of World War I is shared by the viewpoint of Paul Baumer. Paul Baumer, a nineteen year old german soldier who is required to detach from himself in order to be successful on the front. At the beginning of the war, Paul was a kind and compassionate boy who had no experience of the gruesomeness that was brought prior to the war. While on the front the men made great relationships with each other, a brotherhood. It is expressed throughout the book that Paul’s friends are his reason to live. But when on his leave back at home he feels disconnected and, “[he] finds [that he] does not belong

In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, the main character, Paul Baumer, becomes a hero during his time as a soldier during World War I. Near the beginning of the novel, he is convinced to enlist by his teachers, parents, and fellow classmates when he is eighteen years old. During training, they begin to realize that war is not all they thought it would be. After being sent to the front, Paul and his comrades witness many atrocities. This leads Paul to the realization that humans live in a meaningless, chaotic universe and that he has to step up to guide the less experienced recruits that have joined the company. Throughout the war, Paul establishes an especially close bond with his comrades, to the extent where they are one

All around Paul there are rumors of peace, but Paul cannot fathom his life after the war. To Paul, the war has consumed his humanity and has destroyed any possibility of returning to the civilian world. One month before the end of hostilities, Paul is afflicted by poisonous gas and succumbs to his wounds. Paul’s years of suffering could only have been eased through death, which he embraces with “an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.” The unemotional and impersonal nature of this concluding narration echoes the overall sense of emotional detachment in which these soldiers have

A common goal in life for young people is to grow up, get married, and dream of a future with hope. For Paul Baumer a young protagonist in All Quiet on the Western Front his future is doubtful. “Let the months and years come, they can take nothing from me, they can take nothing anymore. I am so alone and so without hope that I can confront them without fear” (Remarque 295). Baumer reveals that, the war strips him of everything he cherishes such as his family, friends, and the hope of a future.

As the main character and the narrator, Paul is the centre figure in the novel. Through the novel, his personality is different to how he normally would be because of the way the war forces him to behave. Before the war, Paul was a very different person to how he is during the war. Before the war, Paul was a caring and sensitive man. He loved his family and would also write poetry. But now, like many of the other soldiers, he quickly learns to turn off his mind and to hide his feelings. He keeps his emotions hidden to keep his sanity and to survive. He is no longer able to mourn the dead.

Firstly, during the wars, the citizens shown to be back home, out of the direct danger of the war zone, don’t give much care or regard about the men fighting there in the war, only to pride and patriotism. The views of a close male figure in Paul’s life, that of his father, seem to affect him quite heavily, as displayed in the following quote; ‘My father would have preferred me to wear my uniform, though, because he would like to take me to see his friends dressed like that.’ In this example, the reader can pick out that his father seems to care about nothing more than that his son is a soldier fighting in the war, about having bragging rights over that concept. The biggest male figure Paul had in his life, even if they were not close in the slightest anymore, now thought of him as something to show off, a trophy of sorts. This is likely not only to hurt Paul, but it affects his subconscious because he just ‘knows’ what his father is going to want from him for selfish reasons. This example helps the reader see through Paul’s father, that society wants these men as trophies, bragging rights,

Paul, who has seen the death of the front, has become unable to relate to anyone in the civilian society. His experiences has affected him so much that he can no longer make any connections with anyone who have