Identity, though defines who one is, is not self-obtained; in fact, it is given by the people one surrounds oneself with. It is a concoction of the natural, personal desires and the desires and interests of others. Identity is, also, not the mere differences in one’s physical appearance, for, although, it is by looks that one recognizes others, it is by their actions and interests that one understands who they are. Thus, it is unsurprising to discover distinct resemblances between individuals—in areas such as their decisions and desires—who have spent decades together. From this conclusion, it can be further inferred that, because humans’ primal instinct is survival, when individuals are placed under common, devastating circumstances, they …show more content…
This idea, however, only applies to the regular society. WWI, on the other hand, should not be considered as “regular” or “normal”, for it places men in a world of constant dread and death. For soldiers, their once normal life have become so distant that even Paul states that it feels “so unreal” (23) and that he cannot “comprehend it any more” (23). To say that families are central to the identities of the soldiers is, therefore, fallacious. For example, most families believe in the Bible which states that “Thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13, KJV), and they extend this teaching onto their children. However, this teaching cannot be applied to war (or there would have be no war in the first place), thus the families’ influence on the identities of the soldiers’ is severely limited. And if the influence of the families is limited, then the change of identity of the soldiers characterized by the feeling of "a distance [and a] veil between" (142) a soldier and his family has to be the result of camaraderie. Thus, this proves the importance of camaraderie to the identities of the