Effects Of Nationalism In All Quiet On The Western Front

Nationalism: War And Its Effects
When people go through hardships, they learn through their experiences and mature. Similarly in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul Baumer, and his fellow soldiers are pushed into being a part of the war by their predecessors who had a strong nationalistic view. This story is about a young soldier named Paul Baumer who is sent to fight for the war and his development in his personality and perspectives during war. The war helps Paul adapt to difficult situations and experiencing the war helps him to grow up and mature. Through Paul’s experience at war, he learns how to survive which causes him to mature; and towards the end of war he transitions into an adult which helps him

The war has numerous positive effects on Paul. War makes a soldier more confident and experienced. Paul’s soft and quiet personality is contrasted by his strong and rough behaviour which he was forced to adapt into the war surroundings. “The shelling can be heard distinctly… They are beginning an hour too soon. According to us they start punctually at ten o’clock” (Remarque, 53). In this passage, we can clearly see how Paul’s experience has broadened throughout his journey in the war. From being a new soldier himself to teaching survival skills to the new recruits, Paul’s transformation is evident. To survive in a war, Paul must not let his emotions get to him because this might affect his performance at war. This turns Paul towards the path of becoming a man. Paul’s transition into manhood has its own advantages at war, it caused Paul to transform into a human who is competent of acquiring an animal aptitude to survive in the

“This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it” (Remarque). For any soldier fighting at war, death is anything but an escapade for a soldier who is prone to being blown to pieces at any moment. Paul is one of these soldiers who fears death in the beginning. At a certain point of time, Paul becomes so accustomed to death that the brutality and the barbarousness of war become an everyday thing for him. This causes him to become inured to death thus starting to appreciate life more and being happy about what he has rather than what he does not have. "I often sit with one of them in the little beer-garden and try to explain to him that this is really the only thing: just to sit quietly, like this" (Remarque, 175). Paul learns that life can also just be about being quiet and about acknowledging its