Analysis of All Quiet on the Western Front
Analysis of All Quiet on the Western Front
The hardships of the first World War are present in the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque. He demonstrates the struggles and hardships that a typical soldier of that war must endure to stay alive or just keep his sanity. There are many factors that can attribute to the problems the soldiers had to face. First were the raging emotions the soldiers felt during the war. They felt patriotism in the beginning and then slowly it broke down to heartache and despair. Another key factor that made this war particularly stressful for the soldiers was the horrible trenches in which they had to reside in. They were full of germs and feces and also reeked of dead bodies. The third and most tragic factor was the heartache the soldiers had to suffer when they saw their friends being mutilated by heavy artillery used by the opposing forces. The war had raging emotions, terrible trenches, and numerous unbearable deaths.
First off the war was filled with numerous emotions which were too much to handle for many soldiers. At the beginning of the war the soldiers felt glorious and proud that they would be defending the honor of their country. After they saw the terrible sights of the war they quickly changed their minds. Their feelings of patriotism and pride quickly turned to fear and despair. Due to all of this chaos soldiers seemed to loose their sense of humanity. “ ...Woe betide anyone who fell into the hands of the enemy alive; all sense of humanity had disappeared. Soldiers, wounded, stretcher-bearers- a distinction was no longer made...” A quote by Louis Barthas a soldier in the war. This quote shows how people had lost their sense of mercy and humanity when faced with a soldier of an opposing side. This is true of many soldiers, but not all. When Paul Baumer was forced to stab and kill a French soldier he felt upset and heart broken after he read through the man’s pocket book. The soldiers also felt afraid of whether they would survive the next attack by the enemy. The chances were so high for death that there were bodies literally floating all around. “...Numerous people still young...