All Quiet On The Western Front Dialectical Journal

Direct and impactful experiences are the only way to completely uncover the truth of situations. In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Baumer, a young German schoolboy-turned-soldier, exposes the reality of fighting in World War I. Like many others, Paul’s teacher, Kantorek, lectured and coerced Paul and his friends into enlisting by fixating on the heroism of soldiers and the honor of serving one’s country. While on the frontlines, Paul experiences firsthand the damage and destruction of war that are ignored by . Those outside the war have difficulty focusing on anything other than the success of their nation in battle. This optimism, while uplifting, is ignorant. In his experiences, Paul quickly learns that the patriotism and pride surrounding the war are due to general oblivion

The outside is unaffected by and unaware of what happens on the front because they are so distant from it; they come closest to the reality in displays of national pride. While Kantorek constantly lectures the boys on the importance of enlisting in the army and serving Germany, “There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best-in a way that cost them nothing. And that is why they let us down so badly” (Remarque 12). The young men volunteered themselves expecting combat to be the same as it was depicted to them. The rest of the world judges battle to be noble and necessary because they do not know what it is truly like. Once the soldiers reach the front, they understand that only they will ever know the consequences of warfare; just they witness the terrors of war. After the Kaiser ends his inspection of the troops in the uniforms they have received for his visit, the men “have to return almost all the new things and take back our old rags again” (207). The shiny new uniforms are just a display for the