Effect Of Death On Soldiers Based All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

Effect of Death on Soldiers based on Erich Maria Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front

Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front demonstrates the effects of war on soldiers. The novel takes place during the last two years of World War I. The three main events that cause World War I are the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the rise of nationalism and militarism. Remarque tells the story of Paul Baumer and his school friends enlisting in the army through the influence of their schoolmaster and society and how they suddenly realizing that it was a totally different scenario. We also learn how the war affected the lives of these young soldiers physically and mentally.

Paul Baumer is a nineteen year old teenager in school living in Germany at the start of World War I. In school, Paul and his friends are taught the notion of nationalism by their schoolmaster. Paul says they taught him and his friends that duty to ones country is the greatest thing. (Remarque 13) With this idea they enlist in the army and we see how war changes this belief and changes the way they feel about life.

In the novel, Paul loses three good friends: Kemmerich, Haie Westhus and Kat. Each death affects him in a different way, tearing something of his humanity away from him. Kemmerich is the first one that dies. Kemmerich and Paul knew each other like brothers. They went to the same school, had the same classes, copied each others essay and liked the same girls. (Remarque 28-29) Kemmerich is injured in the war. Paul and his comrades decide to visit Kemmerich in the hospital and they are told Kemmerich lost his foot. They notice Kemmerichs leg has been amputated. As Paul looks at Kemmerich he describes him as ghastly, yellow and wan. (Remarque 14) Kemmerich has the look of death.

Paul tries to comfort Kemmerich. He tells Kemmerich that Wegeler lost his right arm which is much worse than losing a leg. Paul also tells him that he should eat so he could get better soon. Paul even tells him about the prosthetic limb and that he wont notice his leg was ever amputated. Kemmerich starts to cry and soon after dies. When Kemmerich dies Paul feels weak, he feels he cannot continue anymore, Paul then realizes that even though he is emotionally torn by his best friends death he tries his best not to show it and pushes his emotions down and will continue fighting. Paul says I wont revile anymore, it is senseless. (Remarque 32) Kemmerichs death illustrates that war destroys innocence, steals life and concerns with nothing not even the individual.

After Kemmerich dies there are many bombardments and soldiers wounded and more deaths. As the war goes on Paul became a stronger soldier. Paul says that they have lost all the feelings they have for each other. They are insensible, dead men that run and kill. (Remarque 116) Shortly after an attack in the trenches Haie Westhus is fatally wounded. Paul is with him and describes his death, "Haie Westhus drags off with a great wound in his back through which the lung pulses at every breath. I can only press his hand; 'It's all up, Paul,' he groans and he bites his arm because of the pain." (Remarque 134) Because Paul is only able to press Haies hand, it is like the war blunted his sensitivity.

Paul describes what they should be doing when he says, our comrades are dead, we cannot help them, they have their rest and who knows what is waiting for us? We will make ourselves comfortable and sleep and eat as much as we can stuff into our bodies and drink and smoke so that hours are no wasted. Life is too short. (Remarque 139) Paul realizes that they have to worry about themselves and they cannot burden themselves with feeling sad because life is short.

The war continues and almost all of Pauls friends are dead. By the time all of his friends have died, Paul doesn't have much left to live for. One summer day Kat gets wounded Paul binds his wound and then carries him though the storm of gunfire to the nearest makeshift hospital. When he gets to the hospital he thinks Kat has fainted but he then discovers that Kat has died of a splinter to the brain. Kat was like an adoptive father to him. Kat was also a leader. Kat helped Paul learn how to cope with the war. Paul also learns lessons from Kat for example, how to catch and cook a goose and a pig. All these things makes Paul grow affection towards Kat. Kats death deeply affects Paul. It is Kats death that eventually makes Paul careless whether he survives or not the war. Paul is delirious and hopeless. He can barely stand and his eyes nearly role to the back of his head. He comments that peace is coming soon, but he does not see the future as bright and shining with hope. Paul feels he has no aim in life and their generation will be lost and misunderstood. In the end, Paul also dies.