All Quiet on the Western Front and The Things They Carried - What Is in Common - Essay Example

Comparison essay between ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ and ‘The Things They Carried’ In the short story The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien reveals and critically elaborates the fears, horrendous physical conditions a man may be willing to be exposed, to salvage his reputation. The story is about the infantry Platoon fighting in the jungles of Vietnam in 1968, and the related weight the soldiers had to carry. This weight was in form of the emotional stress, and heavy physical burdens to ensure the survival of the men in this jungle. On the other hand, All Quiet on the Western Front is novel discussing the experience of young men in the army, during World War I in Germany to salvage the country. Though the war stopped and a few of them survived the war, they were mentally destroyed by the effects of the war. In both the novels above, the soldiers suffer mentally and emotionally by the effects of the war, and though they joined the war voluntarily, the things that they carry emotionally and mentally are too much to bear, and destroy them emotionally. In the things they carried, the soldiers are mentally disturbed and hallucinations are common among the army. “One soldier carried a rabbit’s foot while another carried a thumb that had been cut from a dead VC body” (O’Brien, 287). Such superstitious items being carried by such soldiers portray a case of mentally disturbed people, mainly deep in superstitions. In addition, “some carried items of emotional comfort such as a bible or a pair of girlfriend’s pantyhose” (O’Brien, 287). These items are significant of people trying to escape from the reality by seeking comfort and attention in the bible, or the love that they once had in life. By seeking emotional comfort from these items, the soldiers portray a case of emotional breakup in the war; they struggle to have consolation by shifting the attention form the battle front. On the other hand, in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul narrates of events that torment him psychology, and lead to emotional disturbances. In one instance, as the enemy soldiers fall, Paul narrates, “We recognize the smooth distorted faces, the helmets……. His face up turned, fall into a wire cradle” (Remarque, 112). These horrendous images of dying humans as they look face to face with Paul are great emotional torment that would affect him later. The emotional disturbances are observed in another case where Paul comes face to face with the enemy soldiers. “The moment we are about to retreat three faces rise from the ground in front of us…….. I raise may hand but I cannot throw the grenade into these strange eyes…” (Remarque, 113) Paul emotional disturbance is clear from this narration. As they look face to face with the enemy, Paul is deeply affected and though he rises his hand to throw the grenade, his hands cannot simply let it go. Eventually Paul has to do it; because the moment defined their survival or death. Paul is emotionally affected by the killings going on, and though he is a soldier, he is reluctant to kill. The conditions endured by the soldiers in The things that they carried is tormenting not only physically but emotionally. The terrain in Vietnam is hilly and difficult; the solders are in great trouble to move in the heavy monsoon rains. The soldiers are simply like mules, “they plodded along slowly, dumbly leaning forward against the heat, unthinking…… just thumping one step and then the next….” (O’Brien, 288) The soldiers sometimes covered with mud and sometimes in great heat have to undergo difficult terrains with heavy loads, making it impossible for them even to walk as the precise description by O’Brien portrays. They were being tormented in facing the enemies in dangerous circumstances, and having to carry these heavy loads. In fact, to ease the strain “they would sometimes throw away rations and blow their claymores and grenades” (O’Brien, 288). These actions clearly portray a group of soldiers who are tormented not only physically but mentally. Throwing off their rations and the grenades that could save them in case of attacks is enough evidence of the emotional distress that the soldiers are undergoing in the battle front. In addition, the serious lack of human compassion that solders are faced with is an emotional torment. Lieutenant Cross, the Platoon Infantry leader is busy writing letters to his girlfriend back at home, “without willing it, he was thinking about Martha…. and could not bring himself to worry about matters of security ” (O’Brien, 286). The solder though leading the team is most affected, and longed for the day he would get back home if he would make it through. Paul on the other hand in All Quiet on the Western Front was turned into an animal by the ranging war, and can now kill at will. “we have become like wild beasts,…… no longer do we lie helplessly waiting on the scaffold a we can destroy and kill to save ourselves and to be revenged” (Remarque, 113). The war has turned Paul into an animal though at first portraying feelings of compassion to enemies. The compassion of Paul to enemies is evident, and this leads to more mental anguish in soldiers. “They look just as kindly as our own peasants in Friestland” (Remarque, 190). Paul finds a case of humanity in the enemies, and accepts the fact that they were just the same, maybe meaning he did not find any reason of killing the ’peasants’ as she describes them. The emotional burden in Paul is evident as he describes a group of prisoners they have captured. “I see their dark forms, their beards move in the wind, I know nothing of them except they are prisoners; that is exactly what troubles me….. Their life is guiltless … then my emotions would have an object and might become sympathy” (Remarque, 193). Paul in this confesses the heavy burden he carries emotionally as they have to carry the prisoners who to them are innocent, and seeing the conditions they are exposed to; Paul feels sympathetic, though he cannot help it. This is emotional torture. In both the story The things they carried by O’Brien, and All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque, the emotional and physical horrendous effects, which have to be endured by the armies in the front line are evident. In both the stories, the theme of emotional disturbance is clear as the solders are exposed to cruel and inhumane conditions. The view of seeing the dead faces of enemies, and the very act of killing according to these stories has a long time psychological effects, as soldiers have to try alternative methods to divert attention from these mental images. Both the stories are about the things that the solders have to carry emotionally, which results to untold mental torments and emotional instability. Work Cited O’Brien, Tim. The things they carried. NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Remarque, E. Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1928. Trans. A. W. Wheen, NY: Ballantine, 1996. Read More