All Quiet on the Western Front

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All Quiet on the Western Front

The 19th century view of war expressed that it was the most honorable

and glorious event that a man could participate in. This romantic

viewpoint was quick to change after World War I. In addition, Erich

Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front further illustrated

the ghastly nature of war. His descriptive writing portrays the

graphic details of reality, leaving the readers of the 20th century in

shock. Since Remarque was the first author of his time to reveal

these lifelike affairs, his novel helped change their perspective of

war, forcing them to not want any part of it.

In his novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque utilizes the

main character Paul to symbolize the people of the 20th century.

Along with his peers, Paul is encouraged by adults to fight in the

war, especially by his teacher, Kantorek. Paul knows nothing about

war before he enlists and is quickly disgusted to realize his

mistake. Remarque writes, “Naturally we couldn’t blame Kantorek for

this. Where would the world be if one brought every man to book?

There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that

they were acting for the best – in a way that cost them nothing”

(12). Here, Kantorek symbolizes all the elders who pushed naïve

teenagers to enlist because they felt that war was glorious and

romantic. The adolescents that followed their directions had trust in

them because of their authority. However, the ones who professed

enlisting were not the ones who did the actual fighting – they did not

witness the cruelness nor live the brutal, soldier life. Remarque

continues, “The first bombardment showed us our mistake…We loved our

country as much as they; we went courageously ...

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...rred in the 19th and 20th

centuries. Our modern technology has played a large part in changing

our viewpoint of war. Movies have started to display the gruesomeness

of war as well as video games allowing users to partake in war-like

violence. Our current war is even being shown live on the news

channels, demonstrating the violence. Therefore, the people of the 21st

century have become desensitized to the realities of war.

Thus, the readers of the 21st century have already been introduced to

the issues that Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front

communicates. Along with technology, the fact that the United States

is so honest and open with war has allowed children to become

familiarized with this subject at an early age. Consequently, the

effect on Remarque’s readers in the 21st century is quite different

from the effect on the 20th century readers.

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