All Quiet on the Western Front Analysis Society’s viewpoint on war has changed greatly throughout the last few centuries. All Quiet on the Western Front sparked massive controversy after its release to such an extent that Germany banned the book. Readers from all over the globe gained insight into Erich Remarque’s point of view on warfare. His novel contains the harsh realities soldiers have to face on the battlefield. Many used to see the military as something the young should do to better themselves and their country. This book sheds light on the fact that hundreds of the boys in the war made no difference and did not know what they were truly fighting for. All Quiet on the Western Front evokes a massive Reader-response and heavily contains …show more content…
It was a time of economic decline and new freedoms after World War I in Germany. The Treaty of Versailles resulted in Germany’s loss of various territories. Mass starvation and debt were difficult issues faced by many during the Great Depression. Propaganda was spread to recruit soldiers and justify the bloodshed (“Great Depression History”).
AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Erich Maria Remarque’s real name was Erich Paul Remark. He was born in Germany in 1898 and died in Switzerland in 1970. He was drafted into the German army when he was eighteen. He also wrote other novels about World War I and II. Remarque eventually became an American citizen. He is best known for his book “All Quiet on the Western Front” (“Erich Maria Remarque”).
Army. According to Lohnes, Remarque was drafted into the army during World War I. He was stationed on the Western Front. He was traumatized by what he saw. In his book, Remarque described the myriad of grotesque atrocities he had witnessed as a soldier.
Novel’s Conception. All Quiet on the Western Front was published in 1929, over a decade after World War I ended. The author used his experiences and thoughts surrounding the battle to write the book. The character Paul is supposed to be Remarque; the author’s middle name is also Paul. This novel was significantly inspired by Remarque’s time in the War.
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This story was inspired by Remarque’s experiences in World War I. New Historicism is one of the many elements of Literary Criticism utilized by the novel. Psychoanalytical Criticism helps the reader understand the story. Reader-response allowed the story to become a classic. Components of Marxist Criticism are considerably acknowledged in All Quiet on the Western Front. Literary Criticism has been used to understand Remarque’s reason for writing All Quiet on the Western Front. War always leads to unnecessary tragedies, and no man can come out of war
In a time of great nationalism, Remarque showed the true horrors of war which many did not know, for they were told war was noble. All Quiet On the Western Front breaks the illusion painted by the leaders of all countries, showing the true loss of life, and mental and physical effects that war had on the soldiers. As a veteran soldier from the Western Front himself, Remarque experienced the horrors that were not mentioned when he was told to sign up and help his country. Remarque tells how the many young men forced to fight in the war under their older commanders had their lives completely destroyed, even if they survived.
1. Erich Remarque’s purpose for writing All Quiet on the Western Front was to show the devastating effects of war on soldiers and to protest against the war. He does this by depicting the experiences of a group of young German soldiers who are fighting in World War I. One example of how Remarque fulfills this purpose is when the protagonist, Paul Baumer, reflects on the futility of war and the sacrifices soldiers are forced to make. On page 49, Paul says, "We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial - I believe we are lost."
Remarque wrote this story so that common people would know the true treachery of war and how war is only a device to achieve greatness. War is portrayed as a waste of valuable time and human life that in the end, only corrupts and destroys the minds and lives of the many military families- all because a political power wanted something that somebody else had and couldn't come to a peaceful
He did an incredible job writing a truly fascinating World War I novel that was very hard to put down. He went through a lot during his time serving in the war, and that is apparent as he tells his story through the character Paul Bäumer. He showed more insight than anyone could ever imagine of the lives of the soldiers during those four years. Remarque incorporates the more fascinating aspects of the war, and used them in such a way to intrigue the reader. He did an excellent job of writing about life in their platoon, on the front, and Paul’s home life.
Remarque stayed unbiased throughout All Quiet on the Western Front. He spoke about all of the soldiers and all of their different experiences and situations. In his book, he just gives the readers the impression of the war. Even though he fought in the war himself, Remarque definitely did not take sides or attack a certain country because he may have had hurt feelings towards them. He was able to stay completely neutral and depict the nightmare on European battlefields
Andrew Servis Mrs. Carpenter Honors English 10 03 March 2016 Identity in All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on the Western Front is a classic novel written by Erich Maria Remarque. In this novel, the reader is given a clear visual of what it was like to be a German soldier during World War I. Throughout the story, the reader is given a great understanding of the horrendous things these young men had to endure. Remarque uses great detail and imagery to show how the men felt and the conditions they were in. Throughout the novel, Remarque constantly reminds the reader about the thematic concept of sacrifice.
Remarque displays in All Quiet on the Western Front the toll this takes on the youthful soldiers that have partaken in the war. For since the beginning of time, war has always revolved around killing and destroying. The illustrious novel All Quiet on the Western Front exposes the drastic effects it has on the soldiers. War forces civil good men into doing acts they would never even imagine in their wildest dreams. At one point, Remarque artfully depicts a scene in which Paul is forced to kill another soldier in hand to hand combat.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a very largely anti war book. Erich Maria Remarque bases the story off of some of his experiences in World War 1. Remarque writes about soldiers from the German perspective in World War 1. This discusses the brutality and senseless portion of war which really takes a toll on soldiers’ lives. It also broaches the idea of how world leaders are so disconnected from what atrocities that these soldiers are committing and how this is slowly ruining their life.
The same struggle to stay away from the mental, physical, and a person's inner feelings of the destructiveness of war are seen in Erich Maria Remarque's novel All Quiet on the Western Front. This novel follows the struggles of Paul Baumer, narrator and protagonist, through World War I. The
Erich Remarque, author of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, presents a true story of a soldier throughout World War I. At the young age of 19, Paul Bäumer voluntarily enters the draft to fight for his home country, Germany. Throughout the war, Paul disconnects his mind from his feelings, keeping his emotions away from the bitter reality he is experiencing. This helps him survive mentally throughout the course of the war. The death of Paul 's friend Kemmerich forces him to cover his grief, “My limbs move supplely, I feel my joints strong, I breathe the air deeply. The night lives, I live.”
From a Nazi German perspective, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was the epitome of anti-war propaganda. The focal point of the novel went against the very core of Nazi beliefs, causing them to ban the book from Germany in fear of people rising up against them, or deserting the cause. The author of the book himself was stripped of his German citizenship for writing such a book. The novel shows the journey that a young man takes through the course of the war and how that journey destroys him as a person because of the repugnance of war.
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.
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.
In the novel All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Remarque displays the various situations the soldiers experienced throughout World War I from a German perspective. The characters in the novel endure unforeseen hardships and face severe adversity during their time at the front. Through the use of imagery, Remarque challenges the preconceived notions of war, bravery, and honor that were used as an incentive for the youth to join the war. In the scene where the first bombardment occurs, imagery is used to emphasize the antithesis of the previous romanticized notions based on what the characters encountered at the front.
Erich Maria Remarque, a World War I veteran, took his own personal war experience to paper, which resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed anti-war movement novels of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front. The voice of the novel, Paul Baumer, describes his daily life as a soldier during the First World War. Through the characters he creates in the novel, Remarque addresses his own issues with the war. Specifically, Remarque brings to light the idea of the “Iron Youth,” the living conditions in the trenches, and the sense of detachment soldiers feel, among other things. Therefore, All Quiet on the Western Front criticizes the sense of nationalism, which war tends to create among citizens by quickly diminishing any belief regarding it as a glorious and courageous act.