The Effects Of War On Soldiers In All Quiet On The Western Front

Is it possible for one event to change a human’s life forever? In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, many soldiers, especially the main character Paul Baumer, has his life flipped upside down when he becomes a soldier battling on the Western Front. After fighting against the enemy for the first time, Paul and the other men change for the worst. They begin to become “prisoners of the war” meaning that they can’t shake off the adverse effects of the war. Remarque illustrates the theme of the effects of war on soldiers in a negative way by showing that the men are weak minded, in bad mental and physical state, and losing their identity because of battling on the Western Front. First off, the theme of the effects of

While in the trenches, the soldiers must, “live in a suspense of uncertainty” (Remarque 101). According to many therapists across America, when a person is constantly living in suspense, it can cause anxiety issues which leads to mental issues. Also, while living in the trenches, the men are surrounded by rats. These rats can carry diseases within them. Paul classifies the rats as having, “shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long nude tail” (Remarque 102). These rats also take these soldiers food leaving them with barely any anything. Paul even mentions, “Each man gets almost a quarter of cheese” (Remarque 103). This is all the food the men are getting in the trenches. This is not what any man, or woman, should only be eating. By being in the trenches due to the war, the soldiers are in terrible mental and physical

Out there I was indifferent and hopeless- I will never be able to be so again. I was a soldier, and now I am nothing but an agony for myself, for my mother, for everything that is so comfortless and without end. I ought never to come on leave. (Remarque 185)

Paul clearly changes from wanting to come home to wishing he didn’t even step foot on his doorstep because he can’t find his place in life due to seeing all of the deaths that constantly surround him on the battlefield. Paul feels that he doesn’t belong at home because he can’t connect with his family like he used to do. On the other hand, he can’t be on the Front killing men. He has lost his place in his society and his identity, due to the war. Erich Maria Remarque’s main theme throughout All Quiet on the Western Front is the effect of war on a soldier and it is shown when the soldiers are weak minded, in bad physical and mental state, and lost their identity. In the beginning of the novel, the soldiers were considered to be the “Iron Youth”, they lived in hygienic conditions, and the soldiers found the happiness in life. After having to kill many men and seeing a negative point of view on life, the soldiers became weakened mentally, lived in constant fear and in unsanitary conditions, and they lost their identity. As one can see, one event can completely change the life of one individual, in this case, for the worst. An event should never change a person for the worst and make a person