ipl-logo

Symbolism In All Quiet On The Western Front

731 Words3 Pages

The book, All Quiet On The Western Front, by Erich Remarque, tells what happens to a group of German teenagers during World War I. Throughout this novel, Remarque has certain symbols for objects in the book that represent or mean something. For example, Kemmerich’s boots symbolized death. That’s just one example but there are a bunch more symbols and they all have connections to each other. Paul Baumer was one of the main characters in this book. potato pancakes symbolize Paul’s family and mother. When Paul went back home for leave, he visited his old home and family. When he was finally getting ready to go back to the front, his mother gave him some potato pancakes and jam. As he was by the camp he was tempted to give some to the starving Russians but “then it occur[ed] …show more content…

Paul gets to go on leave and he was sitting in his room thinking about his books. He mentioned that he “want[ed] to feel the same powerful, nameless urge that [he] used to feel when [he] turned to [his] books”(171). This shows that he realizes everything at home is so different from a year ago. Paul can’t find a connection to his home now like he used to since this home isn’t home to him anymore. This means that he recognises that he cannot bring back his youth as hard as he tries to or wants to. When Paul was sitting there thinking about his past with his books, “the breath of desire then arose from-the books, [it] shall fill [him] again-it shall bring back the lost eagerness of [his] youth.”(171). Paul recognizes that things are never going to be the same again. He can never describe to both of his parents what he is facing. Also, he doesn’t have a strong connection with his them anymore because they have nothing in common or anything to talk about. All in all, Paul used to have a stress free life before going to war and he will just never be able to relive his time before he went to be a

Show More
Related

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Analysis

    278 Words  | 2 Pages

    All Quiet on the Western Front demonstrates how expendable soldiers are during war by using a pair of boots that are passed on soldier to soldier as the owner who wears the boots dies. The boots are first discovered by Kemmerich, one of Paul’s friends, who finds them on a fallen paratrooper. Inheriting them as his own, Kemmerich wears them as it is better to fight with boots that prevent your feet from tiring as quickly and from the cold. He feels that these boots will make fighting more tolerable and becomes very comfortable with them.

    Read More

  • Front Dialectical Journal

    928 Words  | 4 Pages

    Similarly, when Paul says, “We are not youth any longer. We don’t want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves.” (87), he is saying that not only was their youth and innocence compromised when they entered the war, but also the drive and motivation to be adventurous also has fled.

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Literary Devices

    1667 Words  | 7 Pages

    Before World War I, all of Europe in 1914, was tense and like a bomb or a fire was waiting to erupt. Europe had not seen a major war in years, but due to Militarism, Imperialism, Alliances, and Nationalism tensions grew high. Each country was competing to be the best by gaining more territory and growing in their military size and successful economies. World War 1 was waiting to happen and the assassination of the Archduke was the spark that lit Europe up. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque we see the effects of the assassination.

    Read More

  • What Is The Loss Of Innocence In All Quiet On The Western Front

    488 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lillian Johnson English Honors lV (ALWG) Context Connection 28 March 2023 All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Edward Berger, is a film about the effects of war on young men. In 1914 war breaks out in Germany, Paul Baumer and some of his friends, excited would enlist quickly to serve. Not soon after they are drafted do they see the first images from the battlefield that show them the harsh reality of war.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of War In All Quiet On The Western Front

    1357 Words  | 6 Pages

    When Paul and his friends are fighting on the front lines they are presented with a very dark and scary tone. They have constant bombardments and worry about the death of friends. They are constantly worried about gas attacks and it gives them a feeling of uncomfort, stress, and tension. When every Paul and his unit are at the camps it is very peaceful and they have lots of food. They wish they can stay there because they feel safe they run around and tell stories by the campfire.

    Read More

  • Emmerich's All Quiet In The Western Front

    1138 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is in chapter 6 when we start to see the Paul is experiencing despair. After a heavy attack with the French, Paul and the other soldiers take the chance to fall back and rest for an hour. While Paul is standing watch, his memories start to wash all over him, but the memories don’t bring him joy or calmness. The memories bring sorrow and he start to believe that his youth is forever gone along with his hopes and dreams. It is also in this chapter that Paul and looked and listen a fellow solider die for 3 days, and even with their best efforts they could not find

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front: A Character Analysis

    1245 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the story Paul shows that he cares about his comrades by protecting them from the dangers of war, and he also displays that he will guide them in war. Paul uses his skills of intelligence to guide his team in the trenches and at the front, and he passes on his knowledge and tricks of war to the new recruits. Not many soldiers have all of these qualities, which makes Paul stand out more than his comrades. Even today some men don't express the passion and leadership Paul shows in All Quiet on the Western Front, which brings up the fact that the war needs more men like Paul. To sum up, Paul is an honest and true man who will always be there for his comrades when needed, and he is a man the troops are proud to say is a patriotic

    Read More

  • Symbolism In All Quiet On The Western Front

    415 Words  | 2 Pages

    The devastating psychological effects of war, portrayed masterfully through the characters of Erich Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, manifest themselves in the form of powerful symbolism. Kemmerich’s boots, passed down to each soldiers, causing the subsequent death of every boy who wears them, embody the mindset of war and the volatile nature of a human life, therefore, they act as the most effective symbol in the novel. Introduced almost immediately, as the soldiers’ former schoolmate, Kemmerich lies in a hospital enduring a slow, excruciating death, readers experience a shocking jolt into the perspective of a soldier when Mueller apparently suffers no grief for his friend and focuses solely on obtaining his high-quality boots. Later, narrator Paul Baumer rationalizes Mueller’s

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front World War Quotes

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the end Paul realizes that everything flashes before his eyes after all his friends had died,” I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how people are set against one another…” (Remarque, 263). The main character, Paul reaches the point where he understands that he has no knowledge of the meaning of life. This quote gives a better understanding of the factors of the war, death and fear and the role they play for the comrades. We are reminded the short amount of time most soldier survive, in Paul’s company the initial number of soldiers was one hundred eighty,” Second Company—with difficulty a line, a short line trudges off into the morning.

    Read More

  • Major Themes Of Comradeship In All Quiet On The Western Front

    841 Words  | 4 Pages

    Comradeship “We are brothers and press on one another the choicest pieces.” (Remarque 96) All Quiet on The Western Front introduces the major themes of comradeship, because the soldiers depend on one another when in danger, they have love for one another, and they have the common goal to survive with one another.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between An Ordinary Man And Elie Wiesel

    1105 Words  | 5 Pages

    Not knowing if he could keep living or not. He explains how he say his neighbor started killing also. The same neighbor he invited over to eat dinner with and play with his kids. Being in fear all the time can lead to some depressing thought on, which Paul has said in his story. Words meant a lot to Paul, he states that his parents generation were told as kids that they are ugly and will never be capable of running business

    Read More

  • Nationalism In Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

    1091 Words  | 5 Pages

    Near the end of Paul’s leave of absence, he felt isolated and full of regret, “I ought never to have come here. Out there I was indifferent and often hopeless-I will never be able to be so again. I was a soldier, and now I am nothing but an agony for myself, for my mother, for everything that is so comfortless and without end. ”(Remarque 185) This quote accentuates the narrator’s separation from his family, when he cries out “I ought never to have come here.”

    Read More

  • Theme Of Sight In Tangerine

    1014 Words  | 5 Pages

    Another example of Paul discovering more about himself is when he finally remembers what happened to his eyes. “And I remembered Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them” (264). Paul is trading his literal eyesight in this quote for a figurative form of sight. He is able to “see” Erik for who he is and Paul can “see” who he is, meaning why he is afraid o f Erik and lifting his self-esteem as well as his understanding of himself. In both quotes Paul is either seeing (not recognizing himself as a hero) or seeing (flashback of Erik) aspects of his own life and personality and why he is the way he is, changing how he feels about

    Read More

  • Use Of Metaphors In All Quiet On The Western Front

    343 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagery/Language(Metaphor) The use of metaphors are an important part of any piece of literature as they establish depth and color. In the story All Quiet on the Western Front, E.M. Remarque is effective in using many metaphors to connect the characters to their thoughts, to their primitive state and to their surrounding conditions. Kat, Deterning, Albert and some of the other characters express their thoughts on the corruption of power, to whom the war is useful to. When conversing about the war, Albert states that he “think[s of] it [as] more of a kind of fever,” comparing war to a fever of some kind (206).

    Read More

  • Symbolism In 'All Quiet On The Western Front'

    1468 Words  | 6 Pages

    This poster represents the main themes and ideas in ‘All Quiet on the Western Front ' through the use of visual techniques, including symbolism and colour. Symbolism is when an object or quote is representative of something. Colour can be used to symbolise certain emotions and feelings, however, in this case, it is used to represent the blood and the suffering of those in this war. The use of these techniques can be seen in the depiction of no man’s land, which is red, and the city being bombed, which is symbolic of the effects of war.

    Read More

More about Symbolism In All Quiet On The Western Front

Open Document