Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is the brief overview of German soldier Paul Bäumer’s time spent serving on the western front during World War I. It reveals the decline of German power from the perspective of the soldier. As the story progresses, total German mobilization turns into brutality, rationing, and suffering. From the time between the beginning of the novel to the end, Bäumer loses a countless number of his comrades—as well as other men in his company. Specific emphasis is placed on Bäumer’s emotions both in and out of combat.
Throughout the novel, Remarque makes several connections with Romanticism, a then-century-old intellectual movement that stressed medieval values surrounding the individual and heroism.
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Paul Bäumer is the protagonist. Sensitive and emotional, he soon learns that one must find themselves in good humor in order to survive on the front. Bäumer also has several comrades—each boasting a different personality. Stanislaus “Kat” Katczinsky is perhaps Bäumer’s best friend on the front as the two have strong emotional ties to one another. Kropp, Müller and Tjaden also play an active role in Bäumer’s experiences through their humorous and philosophical personalities. Although the novel doesn’t place particular emphasis on the characters, each one does play a role in enhancing the experience of the …show more content…
This is evidence that All Quiet on the Western Front is an incredibly engaging book. Many of these inquiries are centered on the willingness for one society to subordinate the desires and values of another in their own self-interest. Frequently gruesome detail coupled with Paul Bäumer’s emotions brings the reader into the shoes of one who has the misfortune of having to kill their own species. The actions of Bäumer bring to light the fact that each soldier on both sides of the conflict is a human-being. Bäumer’s comrades frequently pose rhetorical questions regarding the reasons behind their