The Effects Of War In All Quiet On The Western Front

The Effects Of War

War is a terrible thing, everyone can agree with that. It will leave a mark on everyone who was involved. Either physically or even worse, mentally. In the book “All Quiet on the Western Front” by a World War 1 veteran Erich Remarque describes the effects of not just WWI, but of what war in general can do to a man. All Quiet on the Western Front focuses on the main character in the story, Paul Baumer. Paul fights for the German army during WW1 and is stationed on the front lines of the western front. All Quiet on the Western Front shows that war, to a man, can lead to nothing but violence and despair. Rather it's from losing friends in war or the sights you see and things you hear. It will affect you for the rest

During WW1 there were continues bombardments and the same thing happened throughout the book. “ When a shell lands in a trench we note how the hollow, furious blast is like a blow from the paw of a raging beast of prey” ( Remarque 110). Paul describes seeing the new recruits as, “ Already by morning a few of the new recruits are green and vomiting. They are too inexperienced” ( Remarque 111). This shows what the horrors of not only WW1 but what any war can do to a man, especially someone new to it. During the book Paul talks about how the everyday things that you see during the war will affect you when you sleep. He talks about how at night men are waking up screaming, crying for loved ones or for buddies that they have loosed during battle. “ Some nights I am awoken by the awful screams of men” ( Remarque 92). When Paul and his unit are fighting in a graveyard they are hit with more artillery from the enemy a couple miles out. Paul talks about how the ground shook and how with every blow you would see the buried bodies of the people blown out of the coffins and litter the field. “ It was like fireworks except with flying bodies of the dead littering the air” ( Remarque 73). At one part in the book Paul and his unit are walking through there own lines and he goes past a prison camp full of captured russian soldiers. “ They looked like

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. But even at the camps behind the lines there is still death in the air and no one ever feels good. “ We must do anything to keep our mind off of these never ending awful war” ( Remarque 205). They never truly feel safe when at war because of all the death, pain, and suffering. Which at the end of the book of leads to the death of Paul when there is no fighting going on. “ He fell in October of 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front” ( Remarque 210). After all of Paul’s friends die he is the only one left and is 20 years old. He dies 2 weeks after he swallowed some gas that leaked through his mask. Even though it was all quiet on the front, death still affected many