The Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers

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On the moon, a person needs to wear an astronaut suit, or they will die. The suit gives the person oxygen and protects them from space. While the suit is a physical guard for the astronaut, there are many mental guards and masks in society as well. A fairly normal person disgusted with the flaws of humanity, for example, may wear the mask of being antisocial to avoid other people. So a soldier uses a mental guard of indifference during wear and under duress. This is to protect himself from becoming mentally scarred from trauma he endures while fighting. Dehumanization helps the soldiers survive the war because it numbs their consciousness and makes them unaffected by death. Shell-shock, caused by horrific experiences in the war, might be prevented provided soldiers were not as distressed by death. In All Quiet on the Western Front, Tjaden suffers from bed-wetting and humiliation at the hands of Himmelstoss. His condition is caused by trauma from the battlefield, which manifests itself in Tjaden’s nightmares. Provided Tjaden were a hardened, experienced soldier, and not so disturbed by what he sees in battle most every day, he will easily be able to avoid being a bed-wetter. He might also be less at risk for the more serious symptom of war, shell-shock. Paul puts the consequence of war perfectly, saying: “The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts. We are cut off from activity, from striving, from progress. We believe in such things no longer, we believe in the war” (Remarque 88). What Paul is saying is that soldiers no longer have ambition; they are forever changed by the war. Perhaps the worst effect of war is the distance between a veteran and his family. A soldier’s family cannot comprehend what he has se... ... middle of paper ... ...e they fighting when the people who actually started the war are behind the scenes, scheming? Works Cited Mosse, George L. "Shell-shock as a Social Disease." Journal of Contemporary History35.101-108 (2000): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. . Remarque, Erich M. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York City, NY: The Random House Publishing Group, 1928. Print. Winter, Jay. "Shell-shock and the Cultural History of the Great War ." Journal of Contemporary History 35.1 (2000): 7-11. JSTOR. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

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