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A look at WWI from a popular book

In high school, 12-9-75, I did this book report on Erich Remarque's 1958 novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front"

In the book "All Quiet on the Western Front," the author, Erich Maria Remarque, tells of the terror and filth in the trenches of the first World War. Remarque focuses on a group of German soldiers who are slaughtered, one by one, through the book. The novel is very authentic because Remarque had served one year in the German army and experienced the savagery that he portrays so well in his book.

There are nine main characters in the group of soldiers the author focused on. The four most important of the nine would be Paul Baumer, Stanislaus Katczinsky, Tjaden, and Albert Kropp. The rest of the group is Muller, Haie Westhus, Leer, Detering, and Franz Kemmerich. Each one, except for Tjaden, has his turn to die or be crippled for life. Remarque does not tell us what happens to Tjaden.

The plot does not always have clear chronological unity. It will sometimes skip around, as for example, when Paul gets on the train after a three week leave. The plot then skips to where he is back in the army. One part in the book does not show that the war is bad. This part is when Paul and the other comrades are behind the front line and having fun like friends. The ending is unhappy because the author describes very plainly how Paul is killed, then adds, "He could not have suffered long: his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come."

The reason Paul and his comrades stay together through the book is because of chance. It is a little bit improbable because, after his three week leave, it would be hard to find them again. Most of the suspense in the story is created when Paul is in the front line, fighting. The structure of the story is to follow Paul through his incidents in the war and at home during his leave with his family.

The author reveals his characters at the beginning of the book merely by telling us their name and a little about them. The author doesn't sufficiently dramatize his characters until later on in the book. Although the characters may not have been dramatized well, they were each still developed enough to justify ttheir part in this war story.

The theme of the book is implicit: It shows how horrible war is. Remarque has accomplished this very well. The theme refreshes old insights.

At the beginning of the story, Paul shows emotion for Kemmerich, his first buddy to die. When he dies, Paul is very sad. Paul's last friend to die was Kat (Katczinsky) who had been a dear friend to Paul. When he dies, all that Paul knows is that Militiaman Stanislaus Katczinsky has died. The war has drained all the feelings out of him.

The story employs some fantasy. Sometimes Paul dreams of girls and flowery meadows.

The point of view is told by Paul. This is an advantage because he can tell what he thinks of the war and describe it in his own words. The limitations to this are that he cannot tell what the enemy thinks of the war.

The primary intnerest of the story is in the characters and what happens to them. The war that Paul and his comrades are fighting does not have to be WWI. It could be any war. The author often uses a punch line to strenghen his writing. This style is very effective and makes the story more interesting. The reason the author used the title "All Quiet on the Western Front" is because Paul died when the army report finally came through, saying only the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front. This title makes you aware of that the book is about war.

The most interesting incident in the book happens, when Paul is in the front lines and is patrolling to see how the enemy position has advanced. While patrolling, he loses his sense of direction and crawls blindly for a while. He stops and lays in a large shell-hole with water up to his belly. He pretends he is dead. He takes out his dagger in case an enemy jumps in his hole. All of a sudden, a French soldier falls over Paul in the shell-hole. He strikes madly with his dagger and feels the body collapse. Paul crawls into the farthest corner and listens to the man dying and making grotesque gurgling sounds. After a while, he notices the man is not dead and starts to bandage him, hoping, that if he is captured, the enemy will see that he was helping a wounded soldier. A medic or corpman is unlikely to be killed if giving first aid. It is to no avail for the man dies. As Paul begins his escape, it occurs to him his comrades may fire on him as he creeps up. He resolves to call out as soon as he can so they will recognize him. He does this and is saved for the time being.

This is a very fine book, if you do not mind gory circumstances. Although the story started off slow, it becomes increasingly better as you read along. An incredible stroke of genius, which enriches the reader with much social significance.