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What Are The Ethical Issues In All Quiet On The Western Front

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All Quiet on the Western Front is a war novel written by Erich Remarque from the first-person perspective of a soldier named Paul Baumer. Convinced to join the war, Baumer and a group of his friends enlist to help serve their homeland, Germany. They quickly learn that war is extremely different than what they were told, both during a harrowing ten week boot camp and on the front lines. There are many subtle statements throughout this novel in regards to the mindset of war, the rationalizing behind it, and why everything is the way that it is. Bauer is no exception, constantly contemplating his own piece of it all, as well as sympathizing with the opposing forces, wondering if he made the right decision to join and if it’s even ethical to be …show more content…

Himmelstoss is in charge of preparing Baumer and his friends for war, even though he was formerly a mailman and has no real fighting experience. He is focused on forcing the troops to salute, march, and be respectful to commanding officers, sometimes making them to parade-march for hours. This nearly drives Baumer and his squadron insane, and if they openly resist they will be reported to a higher commander. In order to cope, they apply a passive resistance to their practices. Himmelstoss forces them to practice charging and hiding in a mud-filled field, and they comply, however, they do so incredibly slowly to the point where Himmelstoss storms off in anger. This is all that they are effectively able to do in protest, anything else could get them in trouble. This mindless drilling is ultimately almost counter-productive to the squadron, they have practiced salutes and marches but not practical knowledge for fighting and surviving on the front lines. This system exposes the outdated and unnecessary routines that are being enforced by commanders who will never see battle, and do not know how to prepare

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