Kantorek often calls them the iron youth because he describes their efforts as brave and heroic. As a member of the Second Company, Paul has doubts in his choices when his classmate Joesph Behm is one of the first to die when enlisted in war. To make matters worst, Paul’s friend Kemmerich loses his leg and has a slow and painful death. Paul then has the burden of telling Kemmerich’s mom of her son’s death, especially when she confides in him to watch over her son during the war. As the war continues, the leader of the Second Company Himmelstoss is disliked by many of the soldiers because of his harsh tactics and insensible actions.
The men worry they will not live a normal life because of the horrific experiences and horrors of war. To survive war, Paul Baumer and his fellow soldiers behaved like animals, which in turn created a more dehumanizing experience. The young 19 year old soldiers are forced to join the war unaware that they have to change their lifestyles. Remarque indicates that the only way for a soldier to survive war is to turn off their mind and operate solely on instinct, making them less like human and more like animals. “By the animal instinct that is awakened in us we are led and protected.
Now if we go back we will be weary, broken, burnt out, rootless, and without hope” at first I was confused and did not quite understand what he meant. He meant if they survived and went home before the war ended, they would not know what to do with themselves. He thought if his classmates had experienced more of the war they would have suffered more and felt worthless if they were to return home. Paul was describing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which soldiers or anyone who has experienced a traumatic event experience today. PTSD changes the victims’ thoughts, opinions and perspectives on almost everything; it affects not only them but their family and friends.
When he finally engages in his first battle, he blindly fires into the battle haze, never seeing his enemy. As the next enemy assault approaches, Henry's fears of death overwhelm him, and he runs from the field. Henry continues his retreat for some time, even after he overhears that his regiment repelled the enemy. When he finally slows and rests, he hears the sound of a renewed battle and, ironically, he returns to the battle from which he has fled. He comes upon many wounded men returning from the front to get medical assistance.
The novel shoes the misery of war and the everlasting effects it has on the soldiers; even Baumer cannot escape those circumstances. Before the war Baumer was a nice, empathetic, and gentle person but the war has him almost disconnected from his feelings. He becomes numb to the evil surrounding him. His friends are quickly lost to the cruelty and horror of war. Some died a quick death while others died a slow, painful death, showing the reality of war.
Paul and his comrades enlist as fresh creatures of the world that change due to the abhorrence in World War One. The young men lose all hope of surviving through the novel because of the severe devastation they encounter. In the war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque exploits nature images such as, water, animals, and the earth, to exemplify the theme of the destructiveness of war. To begin, Remarque employs images of water to demonstrate the destructiveness of combat. For example, as he recognizes the uncertain feeling of claustrophobia setting in Paul describes how he, “views the front as a mysterious whirlpool.
Dove intentionally caused an accident in the shop to serve Johnny right for the insufferable way Johnny had been bossing everybody. Johnny held hard feelings for Dove, refusing to forgive him. Not only was Johnny Tremain full of pride, but he also was unforgiving. So how did Johnny turn from prideful and unforgiving to the complete opposite: humble and forgiving? After the accident, because he was no longer able to work as a silversmith, he began searching for a new practice, and new life.
I found that I had no patience for it, it was far too depressing and boring, but I suppose that back then I was too naïve to truly understand the depth of it. Now that I’ve picked it back up, it made me realize how terrible humans can be to each other and the scarring effects war can have on someone. Remarque weaves a masterpiece reflected by his personal experiences and brings the pain of the Western Front into the hearts and minds of the reader. The book starts out with the introduction of a young Paul Bäumer. At first, he seems like a normal young man.
Only certain men are able to live through the filthy conditions of the hospital. Several are too weak and die from infection. Social Darwinism is everywhere, survival of the fittest. Towards the end of the movie, young soldier Paul Baumer, must go back to tell his best friend’s mother that her child is dead. However, he can’t bear to tell her the truth of her son’s awful, painful death.
The enemy is Illusive to the men, it was unclear because they don’t know who the enemy is. They had to cope with the weather, trying to sleep and not get killed at the same time. The feelings of these men mattered because it was like being in a world that hits them directly and it makes them think “aim I going to die?”, “will I get shot?”, “will I be able to go back home?”,. With these thoughts one gains strength, confidence, instinct, and a lot of precaution, Just everything they need to survive emotionally and physically. Being put into war is a very hard job and these men have made it far