Portraying War In 'All Quiet On The Western Front'

In war, both violence and fear revokes a soldier’s humanity. These elements of war cause a person to shut down their emotional instincts, which causes the soldiers to mature rapidly by taking innocence along with joy and happiness in life. Through the experiences that the soldiers encounter, their humanity is compromised. Thus, as war strips soldiers of their innocence, they start to become disconnected from themselves and others. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque illustrates the negative effects war has on a soldier’s humanity, through his use of Paul’s books and the potato pancakes by revealing the soldiers loss of emotion that causes them to become detached from society. Through these symbols they deepen the theme by visually depicting war’s impact on Paul. Paul’s books helps the theme by depicting how the war locked his heart to old values by taking his innocence. Likewise the potato pancakes reveal Paul’s emotional state damaged by the war with his lack of happiness and gratitude.

In All Quiet on the Western Front Paul witness all the horrors of war. He sees death crawling towards the wounded soldiers in the wood, hospital, and on the front. When a soldier was wounded it killed them, they lost a limb or they got sent back to the front. Another awful part of war is soldiers would get shot and stranded out in the woods. They would yell for help, but were never found. Mental wounds were another injury of war. Paul would see people go insane on the front and some soldiers got shellshock. The worst part of the war for Paul was watching all of his comrades die, and his connection with the ones he loved at home fade away. The horrors of war is clearly represented in both Battle Scars and All Quiet on the Western Front with physical wounds, mental wounds, and loss of loved ones.

While analyzing the film,“ All Quiet on the Western Front “, I will be addressing the film in its general terms, as well as, its plot and setting. In addition, we will be discussing major themes that occurred in the film. The evaluation of the film for its quality and interest, as well as, its historical accuracy will also take place. Moreover, the strengths and weaknesses in the film will also be discussed. First and foremost, “All Quiet On The Western Front”, is set during World War I, in perspective of the Germans.

In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich M. Remarque, his tone is rather depressing. He uses Paul to explain his thoughts and opinions of war. Using Paul as the storyteller helps to trouble the reader, yet still makes Paul portray as calm. In addition to his sincere tone, Remarque uses imagery to make it feel as if the reader were one of the soldiers in war. Both of these key elements for a novel come together quite well and make for an interesting war story.

The novel, All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque describes the grim reality of WWI. The poem, The Target by Ivor Gurney also talks about the war, and the thoughts a soldier has after killing his enemy. Both works of literature share many similarities.

Erich Remarque uses compelling symbols in chapter six of All Quiet on the Western Front, many of them have a significant meaning, only two have a powerful meaning. A shelled schoolhouse, in a sense brings the reader this sort of comfort because the feel of school brings them back to the good ole days. It is the days when you did not have to worry about things because mom and dad were there. The shelling part is another thing, it is showing the amount and the type of war going on. The violence in this time and place is unimaginable and the shelled schoolhouse is an example of the violence is being revealed. Remarque is trying to display to the reader that in this day and age of war they did not care about what they destroyed. He describes many bloody situations because he wants the reader to feel the pain and suffering how

“We developed a firm, practical feeling of solidarity which grew on the battlefield, into the best thing that the war produced - comradeship in arms” (Remarque 19). In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front the men are faced at the decision of life and death, protecting each other so each individual will make it home. Facing horrific images while being put at risk on the line in the front. Comradeship plays an important role in All Quiet on the Western Front, by being able to survive, build a brotherhood bond, and restoring comfort and courage.

To soldiers, fighting on the front lines is a life changing event that can forever alter the way they look, think, and feel. By using juxtaposition, Erich Remarque is able to capture how feelings and behaviors can change while trying to become free from the war experience in Chapter Seven of All Quiet on the Western Front. The main character, Paul, faces three events that make him yearn to rid himself of the terrible weight of war on his shoulders. It is clear that you can never truly understand what it is like in a war until you are the one doing the fighting.

This passage is a wonderful example of an opening description of setting. It fits into the structure of the novel by giving the audience a first look at the setting, using imagery and descriptive language to create a picture in the reader’s mind. The author begins using a comparison between hygienic modern bathrooms and the soldiers’ open view. He later uses personification when he writes, “The wind plays with our hair; it plays with our words and thoughts,” (Remarque 9). His calm and carefree diction adds to the peaceful mood.

Paul Bäumer is a German, young boy, who, together with his classmates, enlists for the army to fight in the Great War. Full of enthusiasm and adventurous thoughts, they arrive at the front, but then are faced with the horrific and soul-destroying war. One by one the classmates are fall in action…

All Quiet on the Western Front is a fictional war story by Erich Maria Remarque that takes place in the First World War. Erich Maria Remarque was a German soldier in the First World War who suffered multiple injuries during his service. Erich Maria Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front based on his experience from the First World War. The First World War is the first war to employ trench warfare, which was the digging of tunnels known as trenches to use as a defensive position on a battlefield, as a military strategy. The use of trenches in the First World War caused many casualties due to the fact that the trenches are good defensive encampments, and the use of trenches caused many stalemates that were very hard to break without losing

In chapter four of Erich Remarque’s book All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque uses sensory images. Putting extra sensory images into a scene gives the reader more idea of what’s happening “I hear aspirant for the frying pan” (52). By describing how excited the men are when they hear geese Remarque is, in a way, letting the reader know that, to soldiers at war the smallest thing can be the brightest beaken of hope. When Remarque outlines how happy the soldiers get over some simple geese, it really helps to show how while the war has helped the men grow up, they are still young boys. In the previous chapter Remarque used sensory images to make the boys seem more grown up by giving them power while beating Himmelstoss “It was a wonderful picture”

The novel All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is story of the fictional character Paul Baumer and his troop Troop 9 as they battle in World War I on the Western Front for Germany. This novel differs from most war novels in that it does not portray the men as valiant soldiers protecting their country. The way that the story is told strips away the romanticized view warfare and portrays the raw emotions that come with being on the front lines of a battle. As both Paul Baumer’s life and the battle progress, Paul’s values, along with those of the other soldiers, evolve until they culminate in Baumer’s own passing.

In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front Paul shows strong beliefs and opinions on the war and the effects. Paul claims to speak for the whole generation when talking about the war, and he speaks about it in a way that they can all relate too. Paul has lived through the war alongside the rest of the soldiers, experiencing the good and the bad, just like the rest of them. Paul’s negative point of view comes from the horrors he saw during the war, including when he killed the Russian solider and learning all about how he had a wife and his job. His negative point of view also came from realizing that his enemy was just like him and without their uniforms, they all could have been brothers. His fellow soldiers would have the same negative feelings

In this chapter, it's 15 years forward and the narrator is talking about how he viewed his school. He talks about his fears like the specters, classmates walking up and down the stairs with him. Also he comes back to the tree, his other fear. Where he and others jumped off to be prepared for the war.