Character Analysis Paper World War I was a brutal and murderous fight. Over 38 million people suffered casualties. There were 17 million deaths and around 20 million soldiers were wounded during the war. Soldiers showed courage by fighting and learned how important it is to trust other men. They faced hard conditions and suffered many injuries. In the novel, All Quiet on The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque portrays the main character, Paul Baümer, as a superior comrade, a smart decision-maker, and a brave soldier. Paul Baümer would not be able to survive the war without his friends and his friends would not be able to survive it without him. This shows that Paul is a good comrade. A great example that shows Paul helping a fellow …show more content…
When one of Paul’s best friends Kemmerich dies, Paul is the one who has to tell his mom about the bad news. One quote that points to this is, “I must go and see Kemmerich’s mother… This quaking, sobbing woman who shakes me and cries out on me: ‘Why are you living then, when he is dead?’” (181). Paul had enough bravery to talk to his dead friend’s mother about how her son died. Paul has to lie to Kemmerich’s mother or else she would have been even more upset than she had been when she heard the bad news. Paul is devastated when his friend died but stays brave because he knew with war comes death. An example that also proves this is, “Kat falls. We two are alone… Couldn’t I shoot myself quickly in the foot so as to be able to go with him… ‘he is stone dead’ … Do I walk? Have I feet still? … Then I know nothing more” (287-291). Paul is even more affected by Kat’s death than Kemmerich’s death. Kat and Paul were best friends and stayed together throughout the war. Paul did not know what to do when Kat died, he is at a loss of words, and wanted to hurt himself to stay with Kat and go wherever he went. He is courageous even though he witnessed an awful death. Although Paul is a good comrade and a smart decision maker, his best trait is that he is a brave