Kersti Kammerer Mrs.Clark English II 22 November 2015 “Iron” Youth In the novel All Quiet on The Western Front b y Erich Maria Remarque, the main character, Paul Baumer, symbolizes the entire generation of men sacrificed during World War I. Though Paul’s death does not occur until the final sentence of the book, the lost generation is also epitomized in Paul’s early school days, his return to his childhood town, and in his time contemplating on the battlefield. Through a series of tragic and horrific events that Paul must endure within his lifetime, Remarque depicts just how egregious the average soldier’s life truly is. From …show more content…
What was once normal now seems incredibly foreign and odd to him. The war has created a terrible distance between his present and past and no one, not even his own father can begin to comprehend what he has been through. Paul describes what his life was once like, "[Memories] are past, they belong to another world that is gone from us...And even if these scenes of our youth were given back to us we would hardly know what to do" (121-122). Although Paul is still young, his life is taken away from him and what should be an ordinary home life is completely foreign in comparison to his life on the front. As Paul is speaking to his mother, he thinks to himself, “Why have I always to be strong and self controlled? I would like to weep and be comforted too. Indeed, I am little more than a child;; in the wardrobe still hang short, boy’s trousers-it is such a little time ago, why is it over?” (183) Paul’s nostalgia is heartbreaking and truly demonstrates the dehumanizing effects of the war. As Paul stands in his room amidst his childhood books and papers, he becomes aware of the fact that even if he manages to survive the war, he will never find his way back to the Paul that once called this foreign place home. In