All Quiet On The Western Front Theme Essay

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Pages: 6

The purpose of this response is to show my understanding of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. This novel describes Paul Baumer, a German soldier urged on by his school teacher to join the army in battle for World War One. Baumer and his classmates join the front, enduring extreme physical and mental stress of the war, and the detachment from civilian life.
A key theme in this novel is loss of innocence. This is shown through Paul and the other soldiers throughout the war. The boys, Paul especially, often dreamt of life before the war. During their time in the war, they realize that they cannot return to their normal lives as war becomes the norm. The novel explains how the war slowly destroyed the generation of boys fighting. They were left lost; physically and psychologically maimed and unable to adjust back to their lives
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The theme of comradeship takes a negative approach throughout the novel the Sun Also Rises. Many friendships in the novel have no basis in affection. For instance, the character Jake meets a bicycle team manager, and the two bond over drinks. They enjoy a friendly conversation, making plans to meet the next morning. The next morning, Jake sleeps through their meeting, having no regard to the fact that they will never see each other again. Throughout the novel, Jake is unable to form genuine connections with other people. This relates to the novel All Quiet on the Western Front because the soldiers share a similar connection to Jake. Both Jake and the soldiers have the inability to form emotions and connections. This then leaves them lost and unsure of what to feel and how to go further in life if they cannot grasp the meaning of comradeship with who they are friends with. The strong bonds that are formed through friends is something that should not be forgotten, yet it is one of the primary issue that was assessed in both