Theme Of Comradeship In All Quiet On The Western Front

What’s the difference between friendship and Comradeship. Friendship is a friendly relation of intimacy. Comradeship is a person who shares in ones activities, occupations, etc. In the book, you see that the boys have a stronger relation bond than friendship. In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the main character, Paul Bäumer, there is one positive aspect of the war, the strong bonds between his comrades. Through all the pictures of death and humanity, Remarque shows that love and comradeship enables the men to survive in such a inhuman and deadly environment.

Chapter 2 sums up the war in a different fashion, showing the contrast between the uselessness of past knowledge and the “raw and emotional skills necessary” in the trenches (20). The duties imposed on the camp by Corporal Himmelstoss symbolize the hours of work and duties done before enlistment that mean nothing during the war. Being “put through every conceivable refinement of parade ground soldiering” shows how schoolbook tasks were diligently performed only for fear of how society would perceive the boys if they were to do otherwise (26). Himmelstoss himself is the embodiment of previous responsibilities that only make the men “howl with rage” at present (26). The death of Kemmerich goes hand in hand with the death of innocence, Kemmerich’s shiny boots being the small glimpse of hope that keeps the men going. Baumer receives saveloy, hot tea, and rum from Muller for salvaging the boots. In return for giving Muller a sense of hope, Baumer receives a more needed sense of comfort and satisfaction. His hunger, one “greater than comes from the belly alone” (33), is thus satisfied. Chapter 7 directly reinforces this transition from an old life into a new one. Baumer “feels an attraction” to the

The topic of war is hard to imagine from the perspective of one who hasn't experienced it. Literature makes it accessible for the reader to explore the themes of war. Owen and Remarque both dipcik what war was like for one who has never gone through it. Men in both All Quiet on the Western Front and “Dulce Et Decorum” experience betrayal of youth, horrors of war and feelings of camaraderie.

Through out this book the author shows that war is not about heroism and fighting nobly for your country, war is a terrible thing. Paul and his friends are on the frontline in the shelters for days and the pressure gets to the men as Paul says here. "The recruit who had the fit earlier is raving again and two more have joined in. One breaks away and runs for it." This shows that the frontline, added by lack of food, has driven the young recruits mad and so much so that one recruit runs away out into the battle field with inevitable consequence of death. Paul describes the front line in many ways to show the reader and give the reader a good picture of what the frontline is like for a soldier, as Paul expresses here." The front is a cage and you have to wait nervously in it for whatever happens to you", and Paul also says. "I can be squashed flat in a bomb-proof dugout, and I can survive ten hours in the pen under heavy barrage without a scratch." This shows the reader that it is very unpredictable on the frontline and that a soldier owes his life only to lucky chances that they have not yet been killed.

The training regimen awakens a sense of esprit de corps the group spirit shared by those in the same group. Paul's battle with Himmelstoss shows a brighter side of warfare, which is comradeship that develops in death-defying situations. The value for comradeship is appreciated more in the field when the men depend on each other to survive.

In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque depicts the effects of power and authority on the characters. Young school-going “men” are given no choice but to support their country by signing up to be on the front line. Pushed into war by the ones they trust most, these soldiers quickly learn the realities of the abysmal trenches and immediately begin to question the older generations that pressured them to enlist. Furthermore, these leaders who speak of patriotism are willing to sacrifice the lives men of lower social classes even when it is evident that the war cannot be won. In the novel, Remarque brings to light how the circumstances of war influence an individual to abuse their role of authority. Additionally, Remarque depicts an individual’s desire for power exposing that their hunger intensifies over time. As a result, the authoritative figures depict that once power is given to an individual, greed and misuse begin to control the person and sway their decisions. Remarque portrays the abuse of power that arises due to the appalling circumstances of the novel, uncovering their inhumane behavior.

Erich Maria Remarque utilizes many symbols in chapter 6 of All Quiet on the Western Front to help emphasize the importance and meaning of certain aspects in the book. Within the abundance of symbols used, two that exceedingly stood out were the broken down schoolhouse and the butterflies in the battlefield. At the beginning of this chapter, the soldiers describe “a shelled school-house.” (99). The destroyed schoolhouse signifies how useless their prior education is in their current situation. As they walk past the building, there is a constant reminder that their knowledge of the outside world and how it works cannot help them on the front lines, and many of the soldiers will not make it home in order to even have any hope of receiving an education

During the war, Paul sees that his friends die or get injured. Kemmerich is the first of Paul’s friend to lose their leg in the battle. Paul notices that Kemmerich did not feel that his leg was amputated. Paul remembers Kemmerich as a childhood friend before they had signed up for the army. Paul finds Kemmerich dead after he tries to find a doctor to cure Kemmerich. After Kemmerich’s death, many of Paul’s friends died near the end of the war. Kropp’s leg is also amputated like Kemmerich when he was shot after running away from a battle with Paul. Kropp soon dies afterward after getting a fever from the wound. Paul finds out that another friend, Müller, dies after being shot in the stomach. Müller gives everything away before he dies, including the boots that Kemmerich gave Paul to give to Müller. Paul says that he would give the boot to Tjaden when his time is up. The next person to die is Company Commander Bertinck; he died after being shot in the chest. After Bertinck death, another friend of Paul named Leer is shot in the arm and later dies of eternal bleeding. Many of Paul’s friends also died from the lack of foods and supplies. One of his oldest and closest friends, Katczinsky, is also wounded during the battle. When Katczinsky was wounded, Paul tries to carry Katczinsky all the way back to safety. When he makes it back to

Mahatma Gandhi, a renowned political and spiritual leader, once said that, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent.” Presume you see two men in a heated argument and one of them is about to attack the other, you take a rock and throw it at him and knock him out. On one hand it is a good thing that you prevented the attack but on the other hand you used violence yourself, and there is no doubt that you would not hesitate to use it again. The good that came from the violence that you used lasted for a short time, but the punishment that you get for doing this lasts for a long time. Imperialism of rivalries and nationalism were two of the main reasons that most

Enabling to survive in a war is a severe task, especially being in a group of men who in which everyone lives are at each other hands. With this in mind, Paul and his comrades are put at risk by being stationed in the front of No Man’s Land, in which various lives have been lost. In chapter four, a bombardment occurs and Paul helps his comrades by being informed about the gas and helps a recruit with his gas mask, “I pull mine out, my helmet falls to one side, it slips over my face, I reach the man, his satchel is on the side nearest me, I seize the mask, pull it over his head, he understands, I let go with a jump drop into the shell-hole” (Remarque 68). Immediately, this shows the use of comradeship through an attack by a bombardment on battle grounds. Comradeship is shown through the attack by Paul positioning the gas mask on one of the recruits who was not able to maintain the mask on, in which helps enable the recruit to

While on leave, Paul also visits his father and some of his father's friends, but does not wish to speak to them about the war. The men are "curious [about the war] in a way that [Paul finds] stupid and distressing." They try to imagine what war is like but they have never experienced it for themselves, so they cannot see the reality of it. When Paul tries to state his opinion, the men argue that "[he] sees only [his] general sector so [he is] not able to judge." These men believe they know more about the war and this makes Paul feel lost. He realizes that "they are different men here, men [he] can not understand..." and Paul wants to be back with those he can relate to, his fellow soldiers. Paul wishes he had never gone on leave because out there "[he] was a soldier, but [at home] he is nothing but an agony to himself." When Paul returns to the battlefield, he is excited to be with his comrades. When he sees his company, "[Paul] jumps up, pushes in amongst them, [his] eyes searching," until he finds his friends. It is then

Many of Paul's fellow army men do not survive. After the loss of Paul's closest friends,

Without the uniform and title of a soldier who are they really? If they are not in combat then what is the purpose of their life, “I find I do not belong here any more, it is a foreign world”(168) Paul has returned home but what was once a place he called home has become a distant memory from before he went to war. There is a sense of disconnection to the things that had once brought him joy, “I stand there dumb. As before a judge. Dejected Words, Words, Words- they do not reach me. Slowly I place the books back in the shelves. Nevermore. Quietly, I go out of the room” (173). Disengaged from his former life Paul find himself upset, once upon a time the words on the pages of these books had made an impact on him, entertained him but now feels no connection to these words. They are now unimportant in his new life, he now has no time to worry about what will happen on the next page but only worries about the next chapter in his

In the words of Otto Von Bismarck, “Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.” Many of the preceding war novels to All Quiet on the Western Front, misrepresented or overlooked the anguish of war, in favor of more resplendent ideals such as glory, honor, or nationalism. The predominant issue of All Quiet on the Western Front is the terrible atrocities of war. The reality that is portrayed in the novel is that there was no glory or honor in this war, only a fierce barbarity that actually transformed the nature of human existence into irreparable, endless affliction, destroying the soldiers long before their deaths.

Soldiers rescuing each other during battle shows comradeship. While fighting on the front line, Paul becomes separated from his comrades and cannot search for them for fear of being shot down. “It is Kat and Albert who have come out with a stretcher to look for me,” (Remarque 227). Paul's friends coming to search for him shows comradeship because they are being brave and risking their lives to find their friend. Going out to look for Paul shows that they care about and value him. During a bombardment, new recruits are traumatized, scared, and helpless because they do not know what to do, so veterans quickly teach them. “We teach them to fling themselves into holes as quick as lightning…”(Remarque 134). The soldiers try to help each other during battle, which displays comradeship because veterans want to help them live. They aren't doing this to have bodies to fight, but to save human souls. Comradeship is embraced by soldiers rescuing and teaching each other during war.