All Quiet On The Western Front

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Personal Change Through Experience People in their lives are pushed, challenged, met with difficult decisions and go through strenuous ordeals which will form and develop their beliefs, values and how they perceive the world. The novels All Quiet on the Western Front and Purple Hibiscus share these similar themes through the novels. All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, is a War novel about the physical and mental challenges of a young German man who volunteers to join up into the military to fight in World War One. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a fiction novel involving a young girl, her brother, her abusive, demanding father who controls her and her family’s life, the stress and pain it brings …show more content…

Papa Nnukwu is the grandfather of Kambili, and is hated by his son, Kambili’s father, because he is a traditionalist and shows Kambili love and warm spirit. Her dad destroys the painting out of hate for his father and beats Kambili to attempt to stop her from being influenced by Papa Nnukwu. The painting really belongs to Kambili’s brother, but she takes the blame and Papa abuses her for it. Kambili usually would of been quiet and fearful of her father, but instead she protects her brother. This is an instance of a change in values and thinking, as she chose to protect her brother over her. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie describes that Kambili has changed, mentioning “[...] without being aware of it. Perhaps we all changed after Nsukka[...] things were destined to not be the same, to not be in their original …show more content…

Both stories share similar themes throughout them, even though they are vasty different people, in different situations, and with different outcomes, they still have the underlying theme of changing ideals. Paul, in All Quiet on the Western Front, goes from being a young man to a hardened war veteran, whose conscience is full of killing and bloodshed and has naturally come to think like a soldier, rather than the youthful adolescent he was before. As Kambili goes through her life she is constantly abused by her father, as well as her brother too, this causes changes in both of them. Kambili becomes less fearful as her father dies, becomes more free and independent, she becomes her own person as she learns love, freedom, bravery, and to control her own life. Jaja, her brother, becomes a darker person after her father’s death, staying in prison for his murder, and hardens to become more silent and distant. Purple Hibiscus and All Quiet on the Western Front explore how difficult challenges and ordeals can impact people and evolve how their beliefs, values, perspective and character