Analysis Of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

In All Quiet on the Western Front, author Erich Maria Remarque reinforces the idea that war is horrific, through his use of visual, auditory, and tactile imagery. Towards the end of the second chapter of the book, Remarque begins to disillusionize the glorious imagery of war by describing the death of Kemmerich, a German soldier and a fellow classmate of the protagonist Paul. Paul and his other classmates that enlisted sit by Kemmerich's deathbed, illustrating the mourning for their comrade by saying “Franz Kemmerich looked as slight and frail as a child...There he lies...Nineteen and a half years old, he does not want to die!” (29) Remarque uses words such as “slight” and “frail” to describe the condition in which Kemmerich is in. As you approach twenty years old, you should be in prime shape, ready for or already in college, strong and independant, not “slight” nor “frail.” When you are twenty, it should be the start of your life, not the end of it.
He is still quite young, not knowing anything outside of school and war, and surely does not “want to die.” To “die” is a stomach turning topic to discuss, and people about to enter adulthood should never have to even begin to ponder about it, but for Kemmerich, it is a nightmare come true. Paul and the others now realise how “frail” a life can be, how fast it can be taken