Erich Marie Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front
War has a tendency to bring out both the worst and best qualities of human beings. These conflicts and their resulting effects on people are often depicted in literature. One of the best examples of war literature is Erich Marie Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the everyday struggles of German soldier Paul Baümer and his comrades. Throughout the war, the servicemen maintain a strong bond between with each other. However, this bond even extends to the enemy on occasion, showcasing the universality of humanity. Two key themes in All Quiet on the Western Front are comradeship and the universal nature of mankind, and Remarque often demonstrates this. Despite the fact that nationalists often portray war as some
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In that time, Paul learns that the man is a French printer by the name of Gerard Duval. Paul reads his letters he had in his pocket and finds out that they both have something in common: they are tired of fighting. He feels extreme regret for killing the man, and realizes that despite their different nationalities, humans are, at their core, are the same. In his grief, Paul exclaims, “Comrade, I did not want to kill you…Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony—Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?” (Remarque 223). Overall, Remarque stresses the importance of camaraderie and the inherent similarities that all human beings share. Paul and his comrades, and at times the enemy, all share at least one thing in common: their humanity. War can often blur morality, but it also can bring out some positive qualities in its combatants. Nonetheless, war destroys both while the fighting is raging and years after its end. As the Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, “Only the dead have seen the end of
In that time, Paul learns that the man is a French printer by the name of Gerard Duval. Paul reads his letters he had in his pocket and finds out that they both have something in common: they are tired of fighting. He feels extreme regret for killing the man, and realizes that despite their different nationalities, humans are, at their core, are the same. In his grief, Paul exclaims, “Comrade, I did not want to kill you…Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony—Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?” (Remarque 223). Overall, Remarque stresses the importance of camaraderie and the inherent similarities that all human beings share. Paul and his comrades, and at times the enemy, all share at least one thing in common: their humanity. War can often blur morality, but it also can bring out some positive qualities in its combatants. Nonetheless, war destroys both while the fighting is raging and years after its end. As the Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, “Only the dead have seen the end of