ipl-logo

All Quiet On The Western Front Themes Essay

848 Words4 Pages

Universal Themes in All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front was a novel published by Erich Maria Remarque in 1929. It is said to be the greatest war novel of all time, and it still continues to impact life today based on its universal themes. Just like how war impacted people 's lives back then, it still continues to. This novel discusses the effect it has on the soldiers, and the amount of devastation caused. War is horrible, and it always affects the community; whether it be economically, physically, or mentally.
The first theme; effect war has on soldiers. For the most part, the setting is on the battle field. We, as readers, witness first hand how the war is changing these men. You can see their personality changing. Erich Maria Remarque made it clear her goal was to show the destruction the war caused. She says “All …show more content…

He is excited to join and to serve his country, little did he know that war is an aberration. His whole world turns upside down; experiencing grief, and terror. This caused him to become very bewildered. "The wisest were just the poor and simple people. They knew the war to be a misfortune, whereas those who were better off, and should have been able to see more clearly what the consequences would be, were beside themselves with joy. Katczinsky said that was a result of their upbringing. It made them stupid. And what Kat said, he had thought about" (Remarque, 11). When the soldiers joined the war, they had no clue it was going to that life changing. "I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another" (Remarque, 263). Before the war, none of these men had experienced loss, or terror, but after being in the war, those are the only things they

Show More
Related

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Literary Devices

    1667 Words  | 7 Pages

    Before World War I, all of Europe in 1914, was tense and like a bomb or a fire was waiting to erupt. Europe had not seen a major war in years, but due to Militarism, Imperialism, Alliances, and Nationalism tensions grew high. Each country was competing to be the best by gaining more territory and growing in their military size and successful economies. World War 1 was waiting to happen and the assassination of the Archduke was the spark that lit Europe up. In All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque we see the effects of the assassination.

    Read More

  • My Brother Sam Is Dead Quotes

    414 Words  | 2 Pages

    To many people take the toll of war,to many lives have been taken from the toll of war. Families have been ripped apart by the toll of war and the stress that it puts on a family and others that live near it or in it. It has ripped apart famly bonds too. War is a heart smasher in this book My Brother Sam Is Dead.

    Read More

  • Reasons To Quit Valley Forge Essay

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    With all of these soul-shattering, life-changing conditions, it is less of a war and more of a test of strength for the soldiers, here at Valley Forge. Some men were going home and not returning. Other men just completely deserted. Even George Washington’s position was uncertain, the members of congress didn’t trust him. Life at Valley Forge was obviously horrible, and the ugly truth is that it wouldn’t get much better.

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Dehumanization Essay

    554 Words  | 3 Pages

    The war changes the way that soldiers feel and interact. A soldier cannot perceive that they are killing another woman or man’s husband or wife, son or daughter, or brother or sister. He simply does it for his own survival. These soldiers are used to witnessing other soldiers and friends die in front of their faces which causes their feelings to be dehumanized. “It is not fear.

    Read More

  • All's Quiet On The Western Front Critical Analysis

    748 Words  | 3 Pages

    The First World War was a lengthy and brutal affair that claimed the lives of over 17 million individuals. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, its effects were equally as ferocious on the intellectual front, where it marked a turning point in the clash of European intellectual values. Philosophers such as Nietzsche had already challenged established institutions of Positivistic thinking toward knowledge and progress; however, his movement lacked widespread support. It was the disaster of WWI that accelerated their movement by inspiring culture-wide undermining of prior intellectual beliefs through newfound uncertainty: authors such as Erich Remarque and Vera Brittain drew upon sudden doubt underscored by the war to completely reverse prior thinking by breaking down pre-war notions of intellectual

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition In All Quiet On The Western Front

    930 Words  | 4 Pages

    Millions of people have gone through life-altering experiences in their time in World War I. In Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Bäumer, a 19-year-old German soldier, narrates his personal memoirs of this war. He describes the mental change and suffering he goes through as he is forced to mature from a young boy to a soldier in order to survive, leaving him permanently scarred from the throes of war. By employing juxtaposition to contrast Paul’s mindset, before and after the war, Remarque demonstrates how the mental health of the World War I soldiers is damaged because of the abrupt loss of their youth, leaving them in a state of survival and mental instability.

    Read More

  • Themes In All Quiet On The Western Front

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    "Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy? If we threw away these rifles and uniforms you could be my brother just like Kat and Albert (Remarque 223)". Comradeship among soldiers is a major theme throughout the novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front" because the soldiers knew each other before the war, protected each other during combat, and can relate to one another without having to literally speak. This story 's theme shows comradeship because Paul and the other soldiers were in class together before joining the war. In the beginning of the novel Paul introduces his friends he went to school with before going to war with. "

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    403 Words  | 2 Pages

    War is a harsh reality that is inflicted upon the unwilling through the “need” of it’s predecessors and those whom wish it. All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is about 19 year old Paul and his friends in the “Second Company”. Even though they are just out of school age, they have already seen things that many could not bear to even think about. Eventually, all of his friends die, and even Paul too, dies. Remarque uses diction and syntax as literary devices to express his anti-war theme, or lesson.

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Essay

    972 Words  | 4 Pages

    All Quiet on The Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, is a novel composed after World War One to convey the experiences of German soldiers during this horrific time of fighting. He brought to light many important issues that occur during wars. In this book, three horrors of war that had the largest impact were the lack of sanitation in the trenches, the loss of comrades, and the shock that came from unexpected and ongoing shelling. The lack of sanitation in the trenches caused many diseases, infections, and terrible memories to me made.

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western Front Effects Of War Essay

    1064 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout the ages, wars have wreaked havoc and caused great destruction that lead to the loss of millions of lives. However, wars also have an immensely destructive effect on the individual soldier. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front written by Erich Maria Remarque, one is able to see exactly to what extent soldiers suffered during World War 1 as well as the effect that war had on them. In this essay I will explain the effect that war has on young soldiers by referring to the loss of innocence of young soldiers, the disillusionment of the soldiers and the debasement of soldiers to animalistic men. Many soldiers entered World War 1 as innocent young boys, but as they experienced the full effect of the war they consequently lost their innocence.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Graphic Violence In All Quiet On The Western Front

    1079 Words  | 5 Pages

    Throughout their lives, people must deal with the horrific and violent side of humanity. The side of humanity is shown through the act of war. War is by far the most horrible thing that the human race has to go through. The participants in the war suffer irreversible damage by the atrocities they witness and the things they go through. In the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front" is the description by Erich Maria Remarque of the graphic violence and gore and the psychological pain that the average soldier endured on the western front.

    Read More

  • Adversity In Unbroken

    761 Words  | 4 Pages

    War and its affinities have various emotional effects on different individuals, whether facing adversity within the war or when experiencing the psychological aftermath. Some people cave under the pressure when put in a situation where there is minimal hope or optimism. Two characters that experience

    Read More

  • All Quiet On The Western-Western Front Thesis

    665 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erich Maria Remarque was a man who had lived through the terrors of war, serving since he was eighteen. His first-hand experience shines through the text in his famous war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, which tells the life of young Paul Bäumer as he serves during World War 1. The book was, and still is, praised to be universal. The blatant show of brutality, and the characters’ questioning of politics and their own self often reaches into the hearts of the readers, regardless of who or where they are. Brutality and images of war are abundant in this book, giving the story a feeling of reality.

    Read More

  • Brutality In All Quiet On The Western Front

    691 Words  | 3 Pages

    Remarque’s Development of Wartime Brutality and the Differences in Wartime Today All Quiet on the Western Front is a timeless story that portrays the good and the bad of being involved in a war, specifically World War 1 (WW1). Throughout the novel, Remarque develops the theme of brutality in the war. He presents the topic of brutality quite often. The brutality during wartime has short and long term effects, but also is somewhat different from war today.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front

    804 Words  | 4 Pages

    The war novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque depicts one protagonist, Paul, as he undergoes a psychological transformation. Paul plays a role as a soldier fighting in World War I. His experiences during the war are not episodes the average person would simply experience. Alternatively, his experiences allow him to develop into a more sophisticated individual. Remarque illustrates these metamorphic experiences to expose his theme of the loss of not only people’s lives but also innocence and tranquility that occurs in war.

    Read More

More about All Quiet On The Western Front Themes Essay

Open Document