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Analysis Of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

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In an ever-changing world, never has a war been so innovatively brutal as the First World War. One can speak of dehumanization, animalization and desensitization, evoking images of pain, terror and deadening. In his novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque melancholically, yet beautifully, depicts the absolute horrors of war and the way this gruesomeness affected the common soldier, analyzing both the psychological and the physical aspects, and assessing the ultimate ramification on its often-innocent victims. Through means of his pivotal narrator Paul Baümer, how effective was Remarque’s novel as a critique and debunking of World War I actually?

The most obvious predominant theme of All Quiet on the Western Front is of course the incessant brutality of modern warfare, which the reader can experience in every single chapter. Whereas often war poetry and books, especially German literature, attempted to romanticize the concept of war with ideas of patriotic duty, glory and adventure, All Quiet on the Western Front has the clear mission of portraying war as it actually happened. Remarque boldly replaced this romanticized archetype of heroism and honor …show more content…

Never has a book so accurately described the horrors of war on humanity, and depicted them in such a faceted and rich way. Not only does he evoke the carnage and butchery generated by war in a unique and innovative fashion, but he also daringly personifies the absolute torment imposed upon the soldier psyche. Epitomizing this; at the end of the novel, every single major character has been slain in some barbaric way or another, allowing the author to once again highlight the endless disaster of war. He shows how soldiers were fundamentally and inherently altered by war, physically tortured and mentally

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The novel All Quiet on the Western Front Written by Erich Maria Remarque is not only a specific story of World War I, but also a criticism of the destruction and pointlessness of war. The book was banned in Nazi Germany because it was critical of German military, and the idea of the “Iron Youth”, a campaign that promoted patriotism and war to young men. The novel tells the story of soldiers who endure the terrors of battle, and shows how war destroyed and entire generation of men and irreversibly detached them from the normal world. Remarque uses his experience in the war to explain that the entire generation of “Iron Youth” were either dead after the World War I, or too separated from their previous lives after experiencing the hatred and

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Erich Maria Remarque’s title choice was perfect for this novel. Although it was not all quiet on the western front until the last page (p.296), the whole novel describes the path the war took to reach that point. Each event that occurred magnifies the struggle of valiant men in their attempt to achieve peace and brotherhood. The story line of the book began with tension, evolved to hatred and decimation, and resulted in peace and relief. When Paul Baümer lay dead, he appeared calm because peace had finally been achieved.

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In the deeply sorrowful novel All Quiet on the Western Front, young protagonist Paul Baumer serves as an example for how World War I effects soldiers not only physically but also psychologically. Author Erich Maria Remarque illustrates the horrific truth of the battle front through use of literary elements such as onomatopoeia and metaphors. Remarque strips all romanticized stereotypical ideas of war and serves readers a plate full of flat out tragic reality. The trauma filled scene in the novel in which Baumer defends his life and kills the enemy soldier, Gerard Duval, displays a perfect example of what every soldier has to go through.

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Erich Maria Remarque, a World War I veteran, took his own personal war experience to paper, which resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed anti-war movement novels of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front. The voice of the novel, Paul Baumer, describes his daily life as a soldier during the First World War. Through the characters he creates in the novel, Remarque addresses his own issues with the war. Specifically, Remarque brings to light the idea of the “Iron Youth,” the living conditions in the trenches, and the sense of detachment soldiers feel, among other things. Therefore, All Quiet on the Western Front criticizes the sense of nationalism, which war tends to create among citizens by quickly diminishing any belief regarding it as a glorious and courageous act.

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