All Quiet On The Western Front Trauma Of War

All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel written by Enrich Maria Remarque in 1928 represents the horrors of wars that brought trauma upon the soldiers during the war, and eventually changed their ideals of their patriotism. Remarque shows the horror of the war through the traumatic experiences of the narrator Paul Baumer, his best friend Stanislaus Katczincky, and Paul's other closest friend and classmate, Albert Kropp.

Paul Baumer, the narrator of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front experiences first hand the horrors of the war that lead to trauma from the encounters during the war. Throughout the story Paul starts to develop anxiety, as well as many of the other soldiers in the war, he learns to separate himself from his thoughts and

If Paul feels this way it is unimaginable what his fellow comrades that were still fighting felt as well. Katczinsky was a noble and strong man that has been given an opportunity to provide for his family, yet he still experienced first hand the horrors of the war, and left the world with no brighter future, but the traumas of his past. Stanislaus Katczinsky may have experienced trauma and witnessed the horrors of war, but he is one of the most valuable people within the group of soldiers. Katczinsky was able to find food for the men to eat no matter where they went. For example Paul Baumer states, “He finds everything – if it is a cold, a small stove and wood, hay and straw, a table and chairs – but above all food ” (Remarque 31). In like manner, he also helps teach his fellow comrades about how to survive the war. He also has places an enlightenment on the soldiers with his outlook on the future of their lives in the

Although Alberts time in the war is short lived he went through a hard time with his emotional and physical trauma. Albert experiences his first hit to the knee while he and Paul are crossing the front caught in enemy fire, without delay Pual tries his hardest to get Albert across the front to the medical wagon without dying. Paul believed that, “Fear alone made it possible…”(Remarque 177).The amount of pain that Kropp is going through from the time he gets to the ambulance wagon to the medical tent is unbearable, he is in ultimate pain and he was unable to move his leg at all. For example the text states, “A damnable position \, stretched out full length like that; – the only time it is good is when one is asleep” (Remarque 184). This goes on to show that Kropp is going through an immense amount of pain and nothing can subside that pain unless he s able to sleep which is nearly impossible with the amount of physical pain Albert is going through, With this in Alberts mind he immediately has suicidal thoughts, and claims he will not live is life as a cripple. In due time Alberts leg must get amputated, although he is unhappy with the fact that he has to live his life as an amputee he is willing to accept it after all the horrific experiences he has had that have traumatized him and left him with no hope for a