Analysis Of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quite In The Western Front

In Erich Maria Remarque’s, “ All Quite In The Western front”, he tells a story about a young man, Paul Baumer, and his classmates, Leer, Müller, and Kropp, who voluntarily enlisted in the German army during World War I. They chose to enlist voluntarily after their teacher, Kantorek, made a very inspiring patriotic speech. But after a few weeks they regretted their choice. The barbaric training and the life in the front brought constant mental and physical terrors to the life of these soldiers. They no longer believed in the ideals of nationalism and patriotism that the teacher’s speech had inspired in them. This quote maps out what the book is about, “This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure,

Paul says, “ Our knowledge of life is limited to death”(Remarque, All quiet n the Western front). The main character and his classmates were only nineteen and twenty when they enlisted to go to war. Even before going to war the only thing these young men knew was death, cruelty, suffering and hopelessness. War forces men to be in constant fear for their lives. When they are in the war front they are not fighting for their countries, they are fighting for their own lives. Remarque writes about how the war has a destroying effect on the mental and physical health of the soldiers. Also, it makes them feel hopeless and sacred, they do not have any hope for a future after the war. Therefore, soldiers that were fighting the World War I disconnect themselves from their emotions to survive the horrible situation the war they were fighting. “We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with feelings which, though they may be ornamental enough in peacetime, would be out of place here”(Remarque, All quiet on the Western front). Remarque in this quote shows how soldiers are coping mentally with the burden of war. All soldiers have a great bond of friendship and loyalty since they all share the experiences of