Erich Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front

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In all quiet on the western front Erich Remarque uses boots to display how men’s humanity is destroyed by war. Remarque uses boots to show how war can turn innocent men insensitive and unfeeling soldiers who become animals as they approach the front lines. War can forever physically and mentally damage the boys that are forced to become soldiers. In this novel, the reader can see innocent men lose their innocence as they are forced to risk lives to serve their country. Remarque uses boots to show readers how the soldiers who served in WWI had their human qualities taken from them by war. Remarque says that his book is to be “neither an accusation nor a confession. It will try simply to tell of ...men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by the war." (Remarque). The author is telling the reader before hand that the boys in his story, even though they escaped out of war with their lives, …show more content…
Paul says that “ Once it was different” (Remarque). Before the men enlisted they were innocent and weren't aware of the horrors of war. Once in the war the men had to realize that their lives were on the line everyday and they had to look out for themselves. The men become different when they come to the front lines as their fight or flight instincts kick in. Paul says when they “ reach the zone where the front begins [they] become on the instant human animals” (Remarque). When the men come up on the front line their survival instincts kick in and they begin to become vicious animals that they never knew they were. War brings out the worst in people and changes innocent young men into cold hearted killers. All of the soldiers want to survive and Kemmerich becomes aware that he will not need the boots anymore, soon before he dies. He tells Paul he can "You can take my lace-up boots with you for
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