Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

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All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque begins with a short disclaimer that defines its purpose as follows: “It will simply try to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war.” It does this by vividly describing the circumstances, history, thoughts, and interactions of a company of soldiers serving in the German military. As it provides such explicit details of the characters, the work is best understood by Freudian psychoanalysis. Analyzing the protagonist, Paul Baumer, by recognizing his subconscious’ adherence to the ideas of the id, the ego, and the superego, explains his choice to commit suicide. A slave to societal expectations and his superego, Baumer enrolled…show more content…
As a former comrade of Remarque illuminates, there are nonetheless many inconsistencies between the novel and reality (Bloom, 8), so it can not be taken literally or used to accurately define the author. On the other hand, the book’s anecdotal elements and empathetic reception by the masses serve to strengthen its promise to describe plausible circumstances encountered in WWI. This shows that it is valid to use the work in order to determine a possible source of internal conflict in members of the “Lost…show more content…
Subconsciously, he references his desires for intimacy with his mother when speaking of the beauty of earth and of nature, both which are characteristically personified as motherly. When enduring the bombardment, he metaphorically describes his relation as a soldier to the earth, saying “…when he buries his face and his limbs deep in her… then she is… his mother…” This is followed by his account of “…the animal instinct that is awakened in [them] …” (Remarque 60). These thoughts concerning his desires and instinctual response exemplify the id’s attempt at gaining control of his
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