Character Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front

2674 Words11 Pages
Epigraph - “This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war” (Epigraph 1). o this sets up the context and intent of the novel and implies that even though a young generation of men survived the war physically, they were destroyed by it mentally. o Implies the loss of human emotion, and the worthless ideals of patriotism and nationalism Chapter One - The novel begins with the Second Company of German soldiers during WW1 resting after being relieved from the front lines. They spent the last two weeks in constant…show more content…
Had we gone into the trenches without this period of training most of us would certainly have gone mad. […] We did not break down, but adapted ourselves” (26) – training prepared them for the destruction of their humanity and emotion o “by far the most important result was that it awakened us in a strong, practical sense of esprit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest that arose out of the war – comradeship” (26-27) – forced soldiers to trust and depend on each other for survival – comradeship is the only idealized bond in the…show more content…
Paul describes that his unit eventually learned to stand up to Himmelstoss’s authority without defiance and punishment. They resented Himmelstoss’s ways but he sympathetically notes that the humiliation and discipline strengthened and helped them to survive thus far without going insane. - Paul goes back to see Kemmerich before his death and attempts to console him by saying that he will be returning home soon and distract him from the regret. Kemmerich knows his leg is gone, and Paul optimistically talks to him about the construction of artificial limbs. - Kemmerich gives his boots to Müller. Symbolically reveals that Paul has isolated himself from moral feelings - Müller was being reasonable vs. inconsiderate. o Symbolic meaning of the boots: represent the cheapness/disposability of life - boots outlive their owner and foreshadow who will wear them next - Focuses on Paul’s internal mental conflict by exploring the impact the war has taken on the individual humanity of a soldier - Remarque emphasizes Paul’s good qualities in contrast to the brutality and damage WW1 has caused to his consciousness. – soldiers quickly learn that the only way to survive the mental destruction of war is to isolate themselves from their feelings - theme to cope with the
Open Document