Analysis of All Quiet on the Western Front Novel by Erich Remarque - Research Paper Example

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: All Quiet on the Western Front All Quiet on The Western Front is an anti war novel set up in during the First World War. It brings out all the negative aspects that relate to war through the trials and tribulation that some young soldiers go through. From the beginning, the author paints a bad picture of war by focusing on the horrific scenes during the war. World War 1 was a global war fought in Europe from July 1914 to November 1918 (Orlow 77). Two warring pacts constituted the powerful nations. On one side were the Allies who constituted of the UK, France as well as the Russian empire. The other side was the group calling itself the central powers made up of countries like Germany and Austria-Hungary. More countries like Japan, Bulgaria and Italy joined later (Horne 184; Orlow 77). The main reason of the war was the battle for imperialism, which was fueled by the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria who was the heir Austria-Hungary’s throne (McCanon 327). A great part of the novel covers the lives of some young French soldiers who were recruited to war immediately after school. The narrator reveals that the lads were enticed to go into war by one of their tutors back in school by the name Kantorek. He urged the young men to join the army as a show of their patriotism to their country. The boys decided to join the forces to avoid being labeled cowards. This shows that there was the likelihood that the government used people like Kantorek to lure young and energetic people with little life experience into the army whereas the old experienced folks were left at the comfort of their homes. As the novel unfolds, it is clear that the young men were innocent when they joined the army. As they continued with their service to their nation, they did not change physically, but their personalities changed (Bigler 13). They become more primitive as evidenced in their way of life in the war ground and lose touch of their old selves. They value other things more than their lives whereas death is an ordinary happening. Various events in the novel describe different ideals, perceptions and views of various groups of people about the war. Some were direct participants in the war, others were onlookers while others were far away from the place where the war was taking place, but still had their opinions concerning the war. All those similar and contrasting ideas played a role in helping the author explain the reasons why he was opposed to the war hence making his book an anti war-novel. Some of the groups discussed include the foot soldiers, commanding officers, the enemy and the folks back at home. The groups have similar ideas and contrasting ideas. This shows that the war affected different groups of people differently hence the differences in their opinions. Some of the groups discussed are naïve therefore make conclusions and ideas about a war they never participated in but only heard of. Foot soldiers Vs Commanding Officers The two agreed on the need to go to war. The foot soldiers believed that it was their duties as citizens to protect their home country and its interests at all costs (Orlow 80). This is the reason that made them join the army with no hesitation. The two groups seemed to agree on the reasons why their country wedged into war. They believed that their country was justified to go into war hence they devoted their lives in fighting tirelessly and fearlessly. This came with much sacrifice on their part, but they did this without question. Both groups were optimistic about going back home and reuniting with their loved ones. On the contrary, the two groups had varying ideas in relation to situations and events they went through. The foot soldiers as explained by Kropp’s ideas had their own ideas on how the war should have been fought. Instead of young and inexperienced soldiers going to fight in wars, their commanding officers should have led the pack (Orlow 80). These were perhaps because the generals were more experienced and old. The other argument by Kropp was that instead of different countries fielding a great number of people and taking them to war, the commanding officers (generals) from different countries should have been put inside a boxing ring and fought each other. The general who won the match would symbolize victory to his home country. Foot soldiers were expected to salute the generals whenever they met, but the vice versa did not apply. It is evidenced by the major conflicts with Paul when he failed to salute him (Remarque 22). Foot Soldiers Vs the Enemy (in the trenches) The spirit of cooperation mentality and oneness was present between the groups (Haslam 178). This was a major similarity between the foot soldiers and the enemy when they were soldiers at the war. The two groups were in the battleground to fight, defend the fellow mate, interests of their home countries at all cost, and victory was their main source of motivation (Orlow 80). The foot soldiers in unison always found ways of being a step ahead of their enemies, something that the enemies also strived to do. In as far as war was concerned, the soldiers and their enemies aimed at killing each other mercilessly, as this would guarantee them victory and revenge for their dead comrades (Remarque 32). It was obvious that the environment had made both groups to develop other means of survival that made them animal like and primitive. The soldiers and the enemies gave similar treatment to their fellow comrades (Orlow 88). They were affected when one of their own died and became agitated to fight back and revenge for their partners’ sake. This showed the high degree of solidarity the two warring sides had in their different camps. Remarque in chapter four shows how Kemmerich’s friends take care of remains of his body by giving him a decent burial. The foot soldiers and the enemies in the trenches had their fair share of differences as evidenced in some scenarios within the novel. One of the differences is that, the foot soldiers were less equipped than their enemies in the trenches were (Orlow 89). The low supplies made the army of the foot soldiers less effective than their counterparts. For this reason, when they captured and killed them, they took away their weapons and equipment. The enemy soldiers were fed better than the foot soldiers. The first thing they took from the soldiers they captured was food followed by other belongings. The narrator in the fifth chapter shows how the soldiers lack adequate supplies, which made them run away with their enemy’s equipment whenever they captured or killed them. The Foot Soldiers Vs the Enemy (female version) in the Village The events in the village changed ironically. The two were different in some aspects. One, which was obvious, was that the soldiers were Germans whereas some of the women were French. The German foot soldiers were in the company of French women while fighting their men. It was contrary to what was expected (Orlow 90). The women treated the foot soldiers with care from the red-cross society while on the other hand their fellow foot soldiers were in the field killing the French men. This was a big difference and strange at how the two groups interacted cordially (Orlow 90). The narrator explains how the foot soldiers would throw grenades at each other and hit their enemies brutally to kill. On the other side, some similarities arose when some of the soldiers spent time with the French women. The two enjoyed each other’s company. Paul for instance was unhappy when he left the French woman because he felt that he was not satisfied enough to have left the French woman. Remarque show that there was no enmity or cruelty displayed by either of the groups of people in the village. On the other hand, the feeling was mutual because the French woman wanted to leave with Paul when he was going back home. The sisters from the Red Cross were good to Paul during his stay in hospital. Paul appreciated everything the sisters did despite their differences. The writer used that scenario to show that no matter the differences the countries had, not everyone supported the war. In addition, irrespective of the differences in opinions, some of the members from the two groups were willing to assist each other at their points of needs. Foot soldiers Vs their Families Back at Home The perceptions of the people at home and the soldiers at war were two worlds apart. Although at the beginning, the two groups of people had similar ideas concerning the war, as the young lads entered their camps, things started to change. The narrator describes how their lives changed for a great deal since they joined the army. Their folks at home thought that all was well at the war, but the young men were struggling to see the next day alive if not badly injured. The ways of life between the two groups were different in terms of their lifestyles. The soldiers became comfortable when using the communal latrines as opposed to their fellows at home (Orlow 92). The foot soldiers were young, inexperienced men whereas the family members back at home were mostly middle-aged adults and the aged (Remarque 76). Remarque explains in the first chapter that the boys learnt about enlisting in the army through their schoolmaster who encouraged them to be patriotic to their country. The foot soldiers and their families back at home were remorseful when some of their colleagues died and affected their lives because a part of their life died with the death of their mates. In the second chapter, Remarque through the narrator shows how Paul is affected by the death of Kemmerich. He ran away from the hospital since the death of his childhood friend made him feel sad. Foot Soldiers Vs other Townsfolk Paul Encounters When Home on Leave There was a similarity in the feelings of the two groups. The foot soldiers in the field missed the company of the town folk, but they did not know how they would react at the site of their loved ones when they would be released on leave (Orlow 93). The author points out those foot soldiers had change their behavior and it would be had for them to integrate with the society later in life. On the other side, the townsfolk Paul met were deeply concerned on how their siblings were doing in the battlefields. They became remorseful on learning about the deaths of their beloved ones. It was at treat time that Paul was with the folks that he realized how much they loved him; this was the same situation in the war ground. In addition, at some instances, they faced similar situations despite being at different places. Paul’s mother for instance was sick when he went to visit the townsfolk during his leave days, at the camp, there were also many sick people. The writer used the coincidences in the situations to symbolize that every place had its own problems (Remarque 52). On the other hand, only those in the barracks knew the situation of the war and how it affected them; this was not the case with the towns folk. Paul had to lie so that he could not make them panic if they knew what was happening on the ground. This instance showed that the two groups of people have varying ideas of how the situation at war was like. Peter learned that the war had changed him and his fellow foot soldiers hence made them different from the townsfolk (Remarque 56). This he learnt as he tried to read a book and discovered that he was unable to do so. The author used this instance to show the grave consequences the war had on the foot soldiers that had previously come from school. Paul’s discovery that he cannot really go back home after the experiences at the front As earlier noted, Paul discovered that the war had separated him with the rest of society hence it changed him. His behaviors were primitive and had become harsh. Further, he could not read; he feared how people would view him if they learn of his inability. This dampened his spirit because he felt that he had lost touch with the world that he was used to a while back. When the Paul’s mission ended, he felt that all he needed was to go back home to his family members and rest. He however feared about how people at home would treat him upon his arrival and more specifically the future generations. He thought they would not understand the new generation of people and the old folks. Paul believed that they would push him and his fellow comrades aside. As Paul went back home, he was melancholic, and dismayed over the life that he had lived (Remarque 220). He felt that the older generation had wasted his life and that of fellow comrades. However, Paul was hopeful of how his life would turn after war. He was glad that he would have some freedom to love again and care about the few people who had remained in his life. Conclusion The contrasting and similar ideas of different groups including the foot soldiers, commanding officers, the enemy and the folks back at home, as brought out by Remarque helps in understanding the war in a broader perspective. Each group was right in its own ideas hence their arguments were justified. The similar ideas were indicators of shared norms and beliefs whereas different ideas signified differences in cultures, occupations and places of origin. However, it was clear that the involved groups were committed to outdoing their enemies. Differences in opinions and similarities were also influenced by the roles different groups mentioned played in the war. Some were opposing whereas others were for it, although they participated due to blackmail from a tutor. They went into war without their consent, but agreed to it to safeguard their own. Those who participated in the war were directly affected by its impacts hence they had a deeper understanding on the situations on the ground. Those at the home countries relied on information passed to them by others who in most cases distorted it to save others from panic. The author used all the similarities and differences to show how disasters like wars affect different groups of people. Some direct participants are affected directly hence their opinions on the war are more reliable as opposed to those who never participated hence relied on heresy. Overall, war has never been positive, especially on women and children, hence, by Remarque depicting the relationship between the groups addressed, he wanted to put across a point, war is destructive. Therefore, future generations should avoid it at all cost and adopt other negotiation means of solving disputes. Works Cited Bigler,Ellen. American Conversations Puerto Rican Studies. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010. Print. Horne, John. A Companion to World War I Volume 25 of Wiley Blackwell Companions to World History. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. McCanon, John. Barron's How to Prepare for the AP World History Advanced Placement Exam Barron's How To Prepare For The AP World History Advanced Placement Examination Barron's AP Series Barron's AP World History. New York: Barron's Educational Series, 2006. Print. Orlow, Dietrich. A History of Modern Germany. New York: Prentice Hall, 2009. Print. Remarque, Erich. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Random House, 2010. Print. Read More