Peer Pressure In All Quiet On The Western Front

Peer pressure is defined as the social influence a peer group exerts on its individual members, as each member attempts to conform to the expectations of the group. No matter the generation, peer pressure plays a big role throughout people’s lives. Whether it starts with how people dress or who they hang out with, peer pressure is virtually everywhere. People may think that they are not affected by peer pressure, but every choice they make is centered on the opinions of others. Peer pressure can get so out of control that people’s lives are conquered by the pressure and lead them to make decisions they ultimately disagree with and even ruin their lives. The novels All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and It Happened to Nancy
As soon as the novel begins it is made clear that Paul does not belong on the French Front. Through his teacher, Kantorek, Paul and his close friends are pushed to enlist into war. As the war progresses, Paul begins to reflect how his childhood was taken from him and all he knows is war. When returning to Germany for visits Paul feels the people at home do not know how horrible life is on the front and he feels he cannot connect, not even to his mother or little sister. Soon his thoughts become isolated and he masks his emotions when he realizes not everything is fine. Life on the front is no life at all. His life has been taken from him and he never again will be able to grasp it. Paul dies on the Western Front and never returns
Although Paul enlisted by himself, he did not want to take part in the war. When the war was beginning, the stress that was put on Paul and his friends was greatly increasing. Through his teacher Kantorek, Paul was pushed to enlist because of how he spoke of national loyalty. Paul was not prepared, nor his friend, Joseph Behm, who was weak and the first of his peers to die. Several times throughout the book, Paul refers to Kantorek and how he should have never enlisted. Paul even blames the older generation for distrust. He states, “The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds with a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief” (Remarque 47). Here Paul is explaining how he can only trust his generation. The older generations were the ones the boys used to trust. They were new to the world and trusted them to lead the boys in the right direction in their life, but they lead the boys to war, ultimately leading them to their death. To Paul, the pressure of society surrounded him coming from the people of Germany, the soldiers on the front, and even his family. Emotionally, Paul was broken by the war, at times he felt like breaking down in the arms of his mother, but he knew that was not socially acceptable. Although, Paul felt empty, he appeared strong and brave to civilians and family. He dare not