Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front

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Sex drives all Throughout our lifetime, we are all constantly powered by desire, whether we want to or not. Our desire is stemmed from the human need to be connected with other human beings, either intellectually, emotionally, or sexually. However, our sexual desires are so strong that they are able to create a total body experience. For instance, parts of ourselves that are often asleep awaken, areas that are uninvolved or detached become deeply involved or attached. These desires heighten our senses and allow the experience to be unforgettable. However, during the war, soldiers reacted to these sexual desires as instances that helped them escape the world around them. Thus, making sexual desires the ultimate distraction and topic during the war. During the war, a multitude of the soldiers were exhausted, famished, terrified, and praying for the experience to end. They were simply going through the motions. However, sex was one of the …show more content…

They had to solely rely on their previous experiences and imagination. This is apparent when Peter in All Quiet on the Western Front comes to notice a poster of an attractive young lady. He states, “coloured posters of the performances are still sticking on a hoarding…the girl on the poster is a wonder to us…we have seen nothing like it for years, we feel excited” (Remarque, 1929/1958, p. 141). The soldiers are consumed by the image of the young lady on the poster. So much, that some of them begin to image what they would have to wear to attract a lady as beautiful as she. However, when Tjaden and Leer in All Quiet on the Western Front, stroll towards the image, the conversation immediately becomes smutty (Remarque, 1929/1958, p.143). Representing that the men are incapable of not thinking about women in a sexual way whether just wanting to be with them in a romantic way or having sexual