Discuss how Remarque deals with the cruelty of war in his novel “All Quiet on the Western
Front”
The novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Maria Remarque is about a
group of young German school boys who join up to fight in the first World War. Remarque
allows his reader to get an insight into the cruel wastage of war through techniques such as
characterisation, themes and symbolism.
The novel is narrated by Paul Baumer who tells his story. This provides the
reader with an eye witness account of his experiences. Because Paul is a very young,
immature boy his narration is very honest and forthright. His bewilderment at what is
happening around him comes through Paul and he conveys to his reader the alienation of the
young WW1 soldier: “When we came out here we were cut off, whether we liked it or not,
from everything we had done up to that point.” demonstrating how soldiers were unable to
keep in contact with friends and family they had left behind. It also clearly illustrates the
cruelty of war and also for these young men who had left school for the war and everything
they had done up to that point.
Remarque cleverly displays the cruelty of war through the destruction of his
main character Paul. At the beginning Paul is a very enthusiastic boy who is excited about
fighting for his country. As the novel progresses Paul becomes more and more disillusioned
by the state he finds himself in as he assumes a very fatalistic view: “Our knowledge of life is
limited to death.” The reader finds this particularly depressing as a young man should not
even be aware of death and should be looking forward to the challenges of life. We are led to
see how the cruel nature of war has reduced these soldiers like Paul to adopt a very nihilistic
view of life which in young men is a truly tragic situation.
A key event in the novel which highlights the cruelty and waste of war is
when Paul is faced with killing a young French soldier. Paul finds out that he had a wife and
children: “there are photographs of a woman and of a little girl.” He realises that this
young man could be him, he is no different. He struggles to come to terms with what the war
has turned him into and finds himself apologising to the dead man: “Forgive me comrade,
how could you be my enemy? If we threw away these rifles and this uniform you could be my
brother just like Kat and Albert” which highlights the heartbreaking nature of the situation as
we understand that these youngsters have nothing personal against one another and that they
have found themselves in a situation where they do not understand why they have to kill one
another.
One of the themes in this novel is alienation. When Paul returns home on
leave he finds that he cannot relate to anyone at home. He has nothing to say to anyone, he
feels completely distanced. He cannot communicate with anyone so he sits at home on his
own and reflects: “A terrible feeling of foreignness suddenly rises up in me. I cannot find my
way back, I am shut out.” The war has made Paul a stranger to everyone and everything that
once was so familiar with. He finds that he cannot put any of his terrible experiences from the
war into words that people at home will understand.
Remarque forces the reader to
understand the full horror as at one time Paul’s family had meant everything to him.
However, not everything is so bleak and Paul finds great comfort in the
friendship of his fellow soldiers. One in particular who he becomes very close to is Kat. He
is a much older man and unlike Paul has held down a job and also has had some life
experience. This experience allows him to be very resourceful and Kat is the one person who
looks after everyone else. At one time he captures and kills a goose which he cooks for their
meal. As he and Paul sit and share this meal Paul reflects: “I believe have a more complete
communion with one another than even lovers have.” We can appreciate what this
relationship means to Paul and when Kat is killed he is unable to speak and can only bring
himself to say: “No, we are not related” but it is clear to us that their bond goes beyond
family relationship and tremendous sorrow can be felt for him in his grief.
The author uses the soldiers’ boots to symbolise the destructive nature of war.
These boots, which originally belonged to a young soldier called Kemmerich, were much
sought after. As the war progresses they begin to represent death as each man who wears
them succumbs to a violent death: “Before he died he gave me his paybook and passed on his
boots – the ones he inherited from Kemmerich that time. Tjaden will get them after me – I’ve
promised him.” The reader finds this disturbing as it is clear that Paul has already given up on
life and is deciding who will be next to die.
At the end of the novel Paul gives his final thoughts on the war: “Let the
months and years come. They can take nothing from me, they can take nothing anymore. I
am so alone and so without hope that I can confront them without fear.” These are extremely
depressing thoughts and expresses just how desensitised the war has made Paul and other
young soldiers like him. We almost feel a sense of relief for Paul as he dies soon after this
and is finally freed from the brutality of war.
In this novel, Remarque makes his reader aware of the true cruelty of war. By
using Paul as his main narrator he allows the reader to experience what it must have been like
for these young soldiers who were denied a life and had every hope and dream they ever had
taken from them.
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