Analysis Of Erich Maria Remarque's 'All Quiet On The Western Front'

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Growing up is difficult, but could you imagine feeling 50, before you have even turned 20 years old? Young boys leave their childhoods behind in the fight for their lives and country in the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque. This story follows the life of Paul Bäumer, a soldier fighting in World War I, who must overcome his greatest fears and the expectations to be the young, valiant soldier. The soldiers face pain, fear, and death as they learn how to survive in the harsh environment and watch their friends die, one by one. They see no chance of a future, and by the end of the novel, the surviving soldiers have given up hope of a “happily ever after”. Paul’s experience portrays war as cruel and draining of both hope and innocence. As Remarque describes in his novel, Paul and his friends cling on the feeling of hope and innocence, praying for a way to survive. The boys are forced to experience something no adult should have…show more content…
They face death at every corner, as well as extreme fear, aggression, and the feeling of losing themselves to the ongoing battles, both on the outside and in their own minds. These soldiers have lost hope for a new beginning, for a life after the war. They were just beginning to grow up and live life when this chance was ripped away from them; their childhoods are slowly fading away. For instance, when the young soldiers are talking about the war, they begin to realize that they have nothing to go back to, they may not even have a future to look forward to. Paul begins to believe that he is already too old and has experienced too much to much to have a favorable future, as he begins to think, “We are not youth any longer. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly

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