All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

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Recommended: the importance of being earnest dramatic irony

What is irony? Irony is a figure of speech in which the intended meaning is actually the opposite of what is expressed by the words the author used. This technique is used to ridicule or mock a particular subject by expressing laudatory remarks, but implying contempt and denigration. There are several examples of irony in the novel _All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_ by Erich Maria Remarque, a realistic, yet fabricated account of a soldier's experience in an international war. The lighthearted irony quickly transitions into dark satire with the use of dramatic irony, the setting, and situational irony to mock the glorification of war and introduce reality.
In dramatic irony, the audience knows what is going to happen, but the characters do not. The names of the characters in Remarque's novel have certain meanings that correlate with what they experience. The first light-hearted and ironic account is Himmelstoss's name. "After a couple of days Himmelstoss comes up to us. He has had the bounce knocked out of him since he has been in the trenches and wants to get on good terms with us" (137) Himmeltoss translates to "Heaven, toss." This representation is the symbol for Himelstoss being tossed into reality. When Himmelstoss is beaten, the readers do not show pity because they do not like him, even if he helps Paul survive. On the other hand, Another character named, "Leer groans as he supports himself on his arm, he bleeds quickly, no one can help him."(284) Leer's name humorously stands for "looking with desire." However, his death is not funny at all, and sympathy is shown for Leer, because he is Paul's friend. Finally, The irony of Paul's name comes from his death scene, in which he says, "I raise my eyes, I let them move round, and ...

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...h a crash something black bears down on us"(69) The coffin is protecting Paul, but at the same time, it is a symbol of Paul's death. It represents the nonstop war, and the useless fighting. Paul will eventually be buried under many soldiers. This message is what Remarque tries to convey with this scene. Using these ironies, he alludes to how war is mentally scarring, meaninglessly violent, and it will keep continuing. There is no end to wars.
The developing satire throughout the novel targets war as a whole, and challenges its effects. Remarque uses several ironic examples and techniques to convey his sarcasm, including: dramatic irony, setting, and situational irony. Remarque's remarks on war are used to ridicule and mock war. He uses irony to condemn and denigrate the act of sacrificing young individuals with great potential to war and violence between countries.

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