All Quite on the Western Front
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All Quite on the Western Front
The First World War, also known as Great War, is very significant event on human history. This war had such a big impact on world that many things were changed after war, including shape and size of whole eastern European countries. Erich Maria Remarque, the author of All Quite on the Western Front, fought in the First World War as a German solider where he seriously wounded. He experienced war and its horror. Because he served in German army during World War I, he was able to write novels that well describes war, soldier’s experience, and their changes of emotions. All Quite on the Western Front published ten years after end of the First World War. When power of Adolf Hitler rose in Germany in early 1930s, Nazi attacked Remarque and his works. Because of this incident, Remarque moved to Switzerland with his wife in 1932. In 1947, he immigrated to United State and got citizenship. His sister, however, got killed during the Second World War, because of her connection to Remarque. By publishing All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque might want to describe the horror of war; soldier’s struggling emotion and their dehumanization. Though the book, many examples shows that nineteen years old soldiers lose their innocence and changes for their survivor. In any wars, front line is always the most dangerous, violent, and matter of life and death place to be, and Remarque already experienced that during the First World War. Because of this reason, western front line is perfect setting for Remarque’s purpose of this novel. Young German boys sent to battle field and got serious injured or died. Even, close to end of war, some of boys were not trained enough to be put on battle field. When they started to fight in war, they also started to lose their humanity which process call dehumanization. They, however, did not lose all their humanity, instead, they were confused and struggled between human being and animals who fight for their survivor. Though out of this novel, it describes struggling soldier’s emotions and horror of war really well. That is why this novel was such a big impact not only in German, but also in United States and other European countries.
The First World War is one of most bloody war in history. This war wiped out entire European male population. By using modernized weapons, including gun, bombs and gas, a lot of soldiers died on battle field on both side. This is really terrifying truth. That is why both World Wars are remembered as horrible war. Paul, narrator of novel, had joined army with his classmates and schoolmaster. In first chapter, one of Paul’s classmates died during battle. This incident awoke Paul and fellow soldiers. They fear death and realized the horror of war. Though out novel, many soldiers constantly died mostly by injuries from battle. Franz Kemmerich, another classmate of Paul, died with light wound. Death of Kemmerich implied how death is meaningless and life is cheap in the war. By end of novel, all members of Paul’s company died including Paul. In this novel, they also shows death and suffering of people who is not German, which indicate that German is not only country that suffer from the war. Russian soldiers who were captured by German had difficult time to survive in German prison. They did not have enough food to eat. Also, death of French soldier, who called dead printer by Paul, which gives French soldier him more solid identity, shows that not only German soldier dies, but also soldiers from other countries dies from war. Paul found French soldier’s family picture from pocket. When he saw that picture, he realized that he killed man who was not only a solider, but also husband and father of child. This is horror of war. War kills soldiers, and it also left great sadness to their family members and friends. They, family members and friends, had to suffer death of their love one for a long time. Death of soldier spread its impact through out battle field and their hometown. Dehumanization is also horror of war. Speaking of dehumanization, this concept connects to another them, soldier’s struggling emotion. Soldiers, during war, confused between humanity and human animal. In order to survive in battle field, soldiers need to be a human animal, having sense as sharp as animal. When soldiers became human animal, they react without ethical sense, just like animals. As it shows in the novel, people without ethical sense is dangerous and terrifying. On next paragraph, there will be more description about this idea. Last, but not least, horror of war is meaninglessness of death of soldiers. As already said in novel, politics treated soldiers as penny. If politics ran out of pennies, which indicate death of soldiers, they just replace them with other pennies. This idea also has connection to other them, meaninglessness of soldier’s