ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT :: Essays Papers

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque is a first hand experience account of the war. The horror of the war and Remarque's own terrifying experiences and memories would certainly have effected what he wrote. All Quiet on the Western Front was published in March 1929, London. The late publication of the novel may have been due to the grief and trauma that Remarque experienced in the war. All Quite on the Western Front was written for the millions of men who fought for their countries. Remarque's intent, is to recount the pain and misery that the soldiers experienced during the war and to acknowledge their remarkable courage. Remarque does not mention any specific country or nationality in his book, in order for all soldiers to be identified as a whole, they all had the same goals and experienced the same fears, regardless of their nationality. â€Å" A generation of men†¦ who were destroyed by war† Remarque's comment would have been prompted by his own experiences of war and how he, like all soldiers were a generation destroyed by patriarchy, they fought for the love of their country. â€Å"Even though they have escaped its shells, (they) were destroyed by war.† Remarque means that they may have escaped the battle physically, but emotionally they are unable to escape the horror and the lasting effects of the brutality of war. Paul and Kat were two characters in the novel that represented the typical 20th century soldier. They dealt with malnourished and dealt with disease and death everyday, like most soldiers they had to come to terms with life at war and in the trenches. The soldiers changed a great deal, each day they had to become stronger and stronger as the war became more brutal. Comrade companionship is the one thing that kept the soldiers from falling completely apart. They strongly relied on one another to help them when injured, mentally and physically. They helped eachother by cooperating and sharing food. The soldier’s minds were re-adjusted due to the war and they knew that fate was in their own hands and the hands of their comrades. Paul felt truly at home on the front. He was seen as somewhat of a hero. He had a very difficult time readjusting when he was injured and sent home.