All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Test – Student Samples
Essay #1
In the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”, by Erich Maria Remarque, he portrays the
effect World War I had on soldiers, especially young ones like Paul. Through his many motifs,
he creates the war as the cause for all the soldier’s feelings, emotion, and condition in the
horrible face of death. He especially focuses on the effect the war has on Paul’s generation- the
lost generation. The war seizes all the optimistic dreams of the young soldiers and makes them
indifferent to life itself.
Paul’s generation also can’t relate back to real life anymore and the memories that go
with it, which shows they can never view life the same way again. When Paul goes home to see
his family on leave from the army, he comes back wishing he never went home, showing he
can’t fit into regular life anymore like as a child- the war has imprisoned him. When he is
looking at his old books in his room that used to excite him so much, now, “I wait, I
wait…Nothing-nothing” (p.172). The emotion, joy, amazement, and creative mind don’t come
back to him; the emotions of an inspired boy don’t reach out to him. He can’t relate to emotion
anymore of himself when he was young. Now, he is like a foreigner to himself- the war has made
him just another target, not a human being. Like when he has to leave and his mom is saying
goodbye and reminding him of everything he needs to be careful of, he screams inside himself,
“Ah, Mother, Mother “ over and over (p.183) because he is crying for help inside. He can’t find
himself and who he used to be- youth and optimistic. Externally, he keeps repeating “yes mother,
I will” (p. 183), like a well trained soldier of war. That’s what he is now and that’s why he didn’t
want to go home anymore, because it reminds him of what the war has done to him. Just like
when he put on his civilian clothes again, “The suit is rather tight” (p.164)…” I have grown in
the army” (p. 164). He can’t fit in with regular life anymore, and his youthful clothes are a harsh
reminder of that. The war has made him “grow” as a soldier, but break down as a human. He
can’t have anymore extra baggage of hopes and dreams, so the clothes are tight because the war
has taken that away from him. Now, he will always be part of the war, that’s the only thing he
fits into, he is war, and indifferent to life- war isn’t life, but death.
Paul can’t live a real life anymore because it would prevent him from being part of
“war”. He has no positive hopes and dreams anymore and now all he has is war. He is not the
same person of his youth anymore. A little boy might dream of war, but Paul is in it, and all
those dreams have ceased to exist.
Essay #2
In life, relationships keep us happy, bound together, and often are taken for granted. In
“All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich Remarque, he makes one understand why
relationships among one another are necessary in times of despair. The German soldiers in his
book are often an edge of insanity where they are about to be pushed off. His story shows how
the arm that catches one from falling the war is comradery.
Not only does the comradery shown in the book keep soldiers sane, but it also fuels them.
“We are little flames poorly sheltered by frail walls against the storm of dissolution and madness,
in which we flicker and sometimes almost go out…our only comfort is the steady breathing of
our comrades asleep.”(275) This piece of imagery depicts comradery’s effect on soldiers in war
perfectly. The storm of dissolution and madness is all the horrors of war; the fear of death, the
constant bombardment. Against this storm all the soldiers are tiny flames, easily put out and
covered. Being put out and covered represents the effects of war on an individual, like insanity or
death. These flames are not really sheltered at all, but this is Remarque’s argument; comradery
keeps the soldiers from burning out. All of these flames together would create a strong burning
bonfire that would not falter so easily. In this fire, the soldiers are caught before they fall to
insanity.
After leave, Paul has been stationed at a Russian prison camp. The prisoners described
are in despair, they have no life left, and no quality nourishment. Essentially they have nothing to
live for. “They rarely speak and then only a few words. They are more human and more
brotherly towards one another; it seems to me, than we are.”(197) The comradery of the Russians
is being compared to that of the jailers one of which is Paul. This comparison of comradery
shows that when one is in despair, more comradery is achieved because it is necessary. The
Russians have nothing to live for, and they only have each other, while the humans are on the
other side of the fence with less comradery. It shows how in situations the level of despair
changes one’s need for comradery. The Russians have more because essentially they have
nothing, and again, it keeps them sane.