All Quiet On The Western Front Comrades Analysis

A comrade is a friend or companion, to a soldier it means much more than that. Throughout the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, the soldiers learn through numerous events on the front that their fellow comrades mean everything to them. In a place so horrific as the front their comrades are all they have that they can rely on and through this they have complete trust in one another.
Amidst the chaos and terror of war, a soldier needs some sort of comfort to keep him going. Naturally, this comfort is provided by his comrades. When Paul has a panic attack taking cover in a shell-hole, he should be moving forward but he is too afraid. Then he hears the voices of his friends moving along the trench which restores his courage. “At once a new warmth flows through me. These voices, these few quiet words, these footsteps in the trench behind me recall me at a bound from the terrible loneliness and fear of
The horrifying things that they have seen and been through together has drawn them together on intimate levels. Paul states before he goes off on his leave and says goodbye to Kat, "I know their every step and movements; I would recognize them at any distance" (155). Though all the comrades are close, Paul and Kat have a special relationship. Paul looks up to Kat and even sees him as some sort of a father figure. Kat keeps Paul fed at all times and helps him through his despair when needed. Kat also keeps paul alive from gas, bombs and bullets. One of the most meaningful experiences the men share with each other is when they cook the goose. "We sit opposite one another, Kat and I, two soldiers in shabby coats,cooking a goose in the middle of the night. We don't talk much, but I believe we have a complete communion with one another than even lovers have."(94). This moment solidified Paul and Kat’s relationship and drew them closer than the other