Glory Versus the Realities of War

Jenney Chen

Honors English

3rd Period - Alderson

February 2, 2015

Glory Versus the Realities of War

In the novel of WWI, All Quiet on the Western Front, the author, Erich Maria Remarque, teaches us many important lessons about the peculiar brutalities of WWI, but also about the nature of war in general. Paul Baumer, the narrator and main protagonist of the book, describes the life-threatening experiences and adverse conditions of soldiers stranded in wartime. Although Remarque defines Paul and his generation as the lost generation and many of the soldiers become “lost” emotionally and physically, it is a result of their patriotism that has changed their lives.

The reality of war is very different from the way it is perceived at its outset, when patriotic feeling is at a fever pitch. Such abstract feelings are stripped away in the trenches; and men are sustained by the human bonds they form with their fellow soldiers. One night, Paul and Kat decide to steal a goose from the regimental headquarters. Paul manages to escape with a goose, and he and Kat roast it together. “We crawl into a small deserted lean-to-which we use for such purposes. The single window space is heavily contained. There is a sort of hearth, an iron plate set on some bricks. We kindle a fire” (5.93). This scene shows how the war has changed Paul. Paul is still a young man, but he is not the same young man as he was when he first entered the war. In order to survive, soldiers need to utilize animals as a source of food. Therefore, Paul did not mind the violence of stealing the geese and shooting the bulldog. As Paul and Kat sit in the late night, Paul reflects that they have a unique bond. “We are two men, two minute sparks of life, outside is the night and the circle of death… Formerly we should not have had a single thought in common -- now we sit with a goose between us and feel in unison, are so intimate that we do not even speak” (5.94). In other words, the comrades represent the sparks of life surrounded by a lifeless night. They have been brought together by the circumstances of war. Paul and Kat have a unique bonding moment as they realize that they were total strangers not long ago. Through Paul’s thoughts, the author shows how war has its effects on their generation. We are able to see the comradeship between Paul and Kat. The comradeship among them two reveals the humanity of the desperate soldiers and the inhumanity around them. When Kat is wounded and Paul tries to bring him to safety, he feels “The anguish of solitude rises up in me. When Kat is taken away I will not have one friend left” (12.288). In this scene, Paul fears that Kat will die and they would no longer be able to see each other again. We are reminded that Paul and Kat have been wounded together before. They have endured and lasted the destructive war together, but consequently Paul witnesses his comrades die one by one.

There is a pointlessness to war, especially to a war like WWI, that makes the daily trials and tribulations of the soldier painfully ironic. Paul and the comrades sense that the enemies are sending their troops to the front and figured that the English have strengthened their artillery. “We are low in spirits. After we have been in the dug-outs for two hours our own shells begin to fall in the trench” (6.100). It is clearly seen that the soldiers in the trenches regularly faced bombardment. The men realize that the barrels of their guns have worn out and they feel disheartened. In another quote, “We have a spell from the rats in the trench. They are in No Man’s land--we know what for. ...All day we have only the normal shelling, so that we are able to repair the trenches” (6.128), it reveals the daily cycle that never ends for the men on the front. In order to protect the food, the men have to fight to the rats in the trenches. Paul reflects that the only thoughts he and other soldiers have while they’re on leave is of the gruesome war. Returning to the front, Paul names the men who did not survive on the front. Afterwards 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 bellies, and drink and smoke so that hours are not wasted. Life is short” (7.139). This author wants readers to understand that every soldier has to make the best of their situation. Instead of describing the stoic effect the war has on Paul and the other soldiers, the author virtually makes readers experience the horrifying war. In a time of chaos while human values are falling apart, the several things the soldiers find satisfying and comforting is eating, drinking, smoking, and sleeping. Soldiers are able to find relief from fear, pain, and death through such ordinary actions.