Introduction
Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an anti-war novel that narrates the soldier’s battlefield experiences during the First World War. It is based on the author’s personal experience during the war and expresses the disillusionment of the war era. The novel title refers to the area of battleground where the protagonist fought during the war. The title is ironic because there is no silence on the Western Front until the narrator’s death towards the novel’s end.
Paul Baumer is the narrator and recounts the events in the present tense. It underscores the disappointments experienced by the soldiers during the war as the patriotic slogans that convinced them to join the fight no longer give them satisfaction. The First World War dented the soldiers’ lives as they joined the army based on blind patriotism, shuttered their dreams, and were separated from their families and loved ones.
Summary
The novel narrates the story of young German soldiers who were enlisted into the army immediately after they left school. The main reason for joining the military was to bring honor to their country by being patriotic. They were attracted by the captivating slogans, which made them stop thinking about the other side of the war and join the army wholeheartedly. Little did they know that the patriotic slogans were part of propaganda to entice people to join the army.
Their hopes of being heroes are crushed after facing the realities of the battlefield. The protagonist, Paul, who is also the narrator, is twenty years old and realizes they made a grave mistake by joining the army. At the novel’s beginning, Paul and his friends are removed from their positions after Kammerich suffers an injury leading to amputation (Remarque, 2004). The friends are convinced that Kammerich will die at St. Joseph Hospital, where he is hospitalized. One of the disheartening moments is when Muller asks for the patient’s boots, a sign of despair and lack of support.
The following day, Paul visits the patients again, but unfortunately, Kammeric dies in Paul’s presence as he calls for help in vain. The narrator is devastated as his friend is the seventeenth soldier to die that day, and the nurses are less concerned about helping the soldiers. All hopes of becoming a hero are jettisoned as the remaining friends struggle to survive on the battlefield. Paul and his friends spend most of their time strategizing the best methods of winning the war. One fateful night when they fall asleep, they are woken up by the sounds of explosions. The trenches they are hiding in are bombarded and filled with poisonous gasses.
After surviving the terrific attack, they were granted 17 days’ leave. He traveled back to his village and found out that his mother had developed cancer which made him feel bad. Kammaric’s mother also constantly questioned Paul about her son’s death which depressed him more because he witnessed Kammarich’s death (Remarque, 2004). He is traumatized by the fact that he cannot connect himself to the people who once mattered to him. Before he can enjoy his stay at home, Paul is recalled to the mission and sent on other assignments.
When Paul, Kat, and six of their friends are sent to guard a village, they feel safe after finding lots of food. However, their joy is short-lived when they are urgently moved to a nearby village to help evacuate civilians. During the evacuations, they were also attacked by the French and injured. Although Paul and his friend Albert are injured, they are treated and discharged, ready to be sent to battle. However, Albert’s condition worsens, and he is subsequently amputated, which leads to his untimely death (Remarque, 2004).
Only Kat and Paul remain among the friends who were convinced to join the war. When Kat looks for food, he is hit, and Paul carries him to the dressing room for first aid. However, upon reaching the room, he was already dead. Paul suffered trauma as all his classmates had died, leaving him alone on the battlefield. Towards the novel’s end, it shifts from the narration done in first person, indicating that the narrator has died. The war alienated the soldiers from their emotions and led them to their untimely death.
Contextual and Thematic Analysis
The novel underscores the negative impacts of war and advocates for peace. Paul and his friends were enlisted into the army immediately after school based on blind patriotism. The author’s experiences represent what other soldiers suffered during the war era. Paul had nothing to celebrate from the war because he watched his friends die, missed his family, and could not face his mother, who suffered cancer in his absence. The western front of the First World War was the central focus for atrocities committed against humanity. The novel depicts the negative side of the war as it led to the death of many innocent people whose dreams were shattered. Paul’s reflection shares the contemporary nature of war and why wars must be avoided at all costs in the contemporary world because of their devastating effects.
The novel indicates that nations recruited minors during the world war to fill the gap of the soldiers killed during the combat. The nations opted to use propaganda to encourage people to join the forces without knowing the atrocities happening in the war. Paul and his classmates were convinced by the previous schoolmate Kantorek who once joined the army. Since the waterfront was a sight of terror, the members opted for propaganda and convinced minors to join the army against their wishes. It is imperative to note that Paul was devastated as none of the promises they received while being convinced to join the army came to pass (Remarque, 2004). Other than becoming a hero, the only thing he gets from war is witnessing the death of all his friends and being separated from his family and the people he loved and cherished.
The novel further portrays the challenges soldiers face when they join society after being exposed to extreme combat situations. The story of Paul’s inability to understand the needs of his family and the challenges his mother faced while he was away. Soldier reintegration into society is an essential aspect of the army, and soldiers must always be prepared to return to society after the war. In the narration, Paul stated that he was unsure how to survive during the war.
The war’s events left soldiers devastated and unable to cope with life after the war. Therefore, contemporary military departments in different countries must develop guiding and counseling departments that help reintegrate soldiers into society. The sense of guilt, like what Paul felt, cascading with the devastation is the prerequisite for depression and poor quality of life in the discourse.
The concept of blind patriotism and nationalism is key to the destruction of many families and people’s lives. Paul states that even though they were young, their youthfulness had already left them. Although the author reiterates that the boys are not forced into the war, they are motivated by blind patriotism, which becomes the beginning of their downfall. The propaganda only taught them the romanticized version of the war without explaining the negative side of the war. Most people who decided to join the war without complete information ended up regretting their choice of joining the army during the First World War. After experiencing the war’s hunger, sickness, and dirt, they realized how dispiriting it was to serve in the army. The young boys joined the army intending to serve their fatherland, but it ruined their lives.
Conclusion
The novel All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is an anti-war narration that illustrates the dangers of recruiting young people into the army without preparing them psychologically about what awaits them. Paul undergoes an ordeal different from what he expected when joining the war. The war deprives him of his youth, emotions, and family. He was disconnected from his family and watched his friends die one after the other in the battle.
The propaganda used to entice them into war turned out to be a lie, and they endured suffering in war. The soldier’s experience shares the war’s negative side and encourages nations to always try to avoid war. The main lessons from the novel are that armies must recruit soldiers based on truth and must also incorporate a counseling department to ensure the reintegration of soldiers when they leave the battle.
Reference
Remarque, E. M. (2004). All quiet on the western front (Vol. 68). Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Web.