The definition of dehumanization is a person losing their positive human qualities and traits. When people think about dehumanization they imagine how it can alter their view of their own life, for instance, the WWI soldiers had the demeanor that the war would not be over shortly after they had walked into the battle knowing it made the soldiers homesick too. This statement can be connected to All Quiet on the Western Front, men have changed and have lost grasp on what makes them human. What the soldiers experienced in the past still happens in our future. The book's theme is to cherish and know the value of life. Dehumanization can help support the theme of the book, for example, at the start of the war the men are themselves but they slowly …show more content…
The war had started due to the effect of the Industrial Revolution which was the increased production of goods that were produced by machines. This era is continuing and advancing to this day. Kaiser Willhelm II had the goal of restoring Prussia's honor so in response he had given Austria the "black check" which allowed them to buy whatever they wanted to for them to get support in the war. The main cause of Paul and his companions becoming dehumanized was their teacher Kantorek. Their teacher convinced them to enlist in the war without teaching them the basic knowledge of war. Situational Irony is used for Kantorek because he had sent the boys off to the war but later he had to enlist himself and he had to witness the war and never thought about the young men. In the book, there is a motif that shows up a …show more content…
They had been damaged mentally and they cannot become their old selves. At the start of the book, Paul reflects on the line, "We are none of us older than twenty years old." The tone of this line reflects the soldiers at the start of the book. They have completely changed after dealing with the horrors of the war. What humans are trained to do daily, is not as bad as what the soldiers were taught. They had to go through training that put stress on their bodies and their minds. It is an understatement to go through what the soldiers had to go through, it pushed them to the limit just for them to die and not get to live their lives. The effect after the war and even when the soldiers were on leave was never the same. Like Paul when he went home on leave he felt that something didn't feel right and that he felt like he should be back in the front. I can personally relate to this because I used to feel like I didn't feel in place with the people I hung out with, I didn't feel myself while I was there and with those people. After Paul and his platoon's first time on the frontlines, they had been thankful for Corpital Himmelstosse's training which helped them on the battlefield and made them ready for anything. This shows comic relief because at the start of their training, they disliked Himmelstoss and his harsh training tactics, but later the men are thankful that they actually got