Think about what you believe the theme of the novel is. Now relate the TITLE of the novel to the theme.
5 comments:
Anonymous
said...
It is without question, that the brutality of fighting in an unworthy war, serves as the main theme of "All Quiet on the Western Front." In every chapter in this novel, the concepts of animosity, savagery, and danger are emphasized upon. In the eyes of so many people, war books should only reflect upon moral ideals, such as patriotism and honour. However, in contrast to other publicized war novels, this is one that is "neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure." Due to the fact that countless amounts of lives are taken on a daily basis and innocent soldiers suffer from the mental consequences from engaging in battle, Remarque's novel shows that "war" is truly a devastating thing. From legs, arms, and to their once "sane" minds, the young soldiers in the book lose everything, all because they either chose to join, or were conscripted into the army. WWI, was simply a war of imperial conquest. Thus, it was not fought for a critical cause or belief, but rather, many men lost their lives, trying to satisfy the wishes of their authoritative, political leaders. As a result, adolescents, who enlisted in the army right after graduation, were regarded as “the lost generation,” for all they were ever exposed to, was the danger, intensity and horrific outcomes of bombardments and trench warfare. When the soldiers returned back home, they felt out of place and confused, for they forgot what it was like to live as normal civilians. Since they had endured extreme amounts of hardships and no longer sustained stable mindsets, it was difficult for them to function in regular society. Consequently, some men resorted to committing suicide, while others, like Paul, remained in the army, only to await the arrival of death. This intricate novel, entitled “All Quiet on the Western Front,” relates to the theme of the story, for in the end, after Paul and his comrades have lost their young lives, while fighting for an unclear cause in such a brutal war, everything on the front has gone quiet. Since the veterans, corporals and recruits who were in the midst of battle, were attacked by their “enemy,” and evidently, were viciously out-powered and out-numbered, there was nobody left to continue defending the nation of Germany, on the western front. In my eyes, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” truly is one of “the greatest war novels of all time,” for it allows the reader to comprehend how horrendous the conditions were for the brave soldiers.
The most evident theme of "All Quiet on the Western Front" seems to be the awful effects that wars - especially senseless wars - have on the soldiers, both in a physical and mental sense. This novel, which goes through the horrors of World War I through the eyes of a young German soldier named Paul Baumer, focuses not on the violence of war, but rather the effects wars have on humans. Seeing as the author, Erich Maria Remarque, was himself an unfortunate participant in World War I, it seems that this book was his attempt to share with the world the true story of what a war is like; it is not about victory, success or ultimate happiness for the soldiers, but rather it is emotional torture if not death for these brave young men. The majority of the book delves deep into the mind of Paul Baumer, analyzing his thoughts and experiences so as to better portray how the author himself likely viewed the war he was a part of. The fact that Mr. Remarque himself was involved in what was essentially a brutal war of attrition gives this book a tremendous sense of reality and effectiveness. What better way to describe the horrors of a war but to have a soldier do it? The entire book seems to add up to the depressing ending where Paul Baumer finally dies, after having witnessed every single one of his best friends die in action as well. The title contributes its own hidden meaning to further strengthen the overall story. Paul Baumer died on a quiet October day in 1918 when "all [was] quiet on the Western front." However, the author includes an emotional twist at the end, which really makes the reader think. Remarque mentions how Paul died with a calm face, hinting the possibility that he died a happy man. So, in my opinion, the effects of the horrific First World War were simply so saddening and destructive to Paul's mind, that in the end he was happy it was over, even on a quiet day on the Western front. The nonchalant title seems to mirror Paul's state of mind at the time of his death, leading myself to believe that after having gone through a war, you have lost your identity, your friends, and, whether in the physical or emotional sense, your life. This was the theme of the book - tragedy and loss due to war.
I think the theme of this novel are the other hardships of war, apart from trying to survive through the brutel death of war. This theme is kind of unexpected for a war novel, because war is suppose known to be very savage. But in this novel, the author talks more about the hardships of living a war life compared to the normal life. They talk about how the soldiers feel about their friendships, with their fellow comerades and about how they think the war has effected them. Instead of describing to readers of all the bloody scenes at the front, they describe more about the inner deeper feelings of the soldiers. This relates to the title, in that, this war book is titled using the word "quiet", instead of the usually thought of loud bombs during the war. Both the story and the title focuses on a part of the war that isn't usually talked about. The title of the book is also used in the ending of the book. The theme is usually the most important thing of the novel. In this case, the most important thing about the war, is not the loud bombs, or which side wins at the end, and how brutely each soldier was killed. Instead, at the end the most important thing is how the war has effected the soldiers. With all the soldiers either dead, or scared for life, the front is lifeless, and therefore quiet.
There are two themes in the novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”. One of the theme is ‘racism can cause numerous of lives to be lost.’ Another theme would be ‘the horror of war can change a person completely, not only physically, but also mentally as well.’
National identity is very important to everyone. Racism is commonly seen and can cause conflicts between different people from different cultures. People are scared of what other cultures would bring into their land, and war could break out from this factor. Many would think that if a fight is the only way to protect their rights, and themselves, then they would battle to gain power over their ‘enemies’. Countless innocent people’s lives could be lost, even if they did not want to fight. In the novel, Paul realized that the ‘enemies’ they had been killing, were no different than Paul and his friends themselves. The ‘enemies’ were ordinary people living in another part of the world, not so different than Paul himself. After killing a number of people, Paul found that being patriotic meant nothing to him anymore. On the battlefield, the soldiers were more fighting for their own survival, rather tahn fighting for the glory of their nation. It was a “kill, or be killed” thing; if they did not kill the enemies, then the enemies will kill them. In the end, Paul and his friends realized that there weren’t really any “real enemies”. The only people that they were angry at were the government that brought war upon everyone; those who were sacrificing people’s lives to get more power for themselves.
The horror and violence of the war had caused Paul, and many others to change. The soldiers had been suffering physically, due to the hand-to-hand combats and injuries. However, they also suffered mentally due to the war. Soldiers had to be on guard night and day in order to survive. They could not relax for even a second. Even if they did survive, they would have to face the deaths of their beloved friends. All they would be able to think of was would they be the next ones to die. There is only violence and savagery on the battlefields; nothing of normal living.
In the end, when everyone died, the West Front is at last quiet. The title of this novel, was what the soldiers had hoped for; “All Quiet on the Western Front”, where there will be peace at last, and no more fighting.
I think the theme of the novel is to show war can kill you mentally as well, and not only literally. Which the novel supports this idea by constantly depicting the ideas of Paul. In a lot of occasions it left out what was really happening to really focus and articulate what Paul is thinking during a particular event. And as the novel progress we see the effects of the war on Paul’s state of mind, and how he slowly loses his companions and himself to the war. Almost as if with each death or traumatizing moment he loses a bit of his humanity or sense of belonging in the world. By looking at just the beginning of the novel and comparing it with the end we can see how differently he reacts to events. Where in the beginning he was seen to be more naive and placed into an environment that he blocked out or paid no attention to, but at the end he saw and understood the reality of it. Particularly at the end of the novel the reader is informed that the last of Paul’s remaining companions have died leaving him completely alone. From this he appears to have lost whatever was left of his sense of belonging in the world. He felt that what was left for him was death because all he knew of was that. And how this all ties into the title of the story, is that the title is the depiction of the outcome of what had happen to Paul and his companions. It is the after event when Paul is the last to die, where he is left dead and the fight long over. Which, the fight is not only the war between one country and another but also the war within his mind with the repercussions of war.
5 comments:
It is without question, that the brutality of fighting in an unworthy war, serves as the main theme of "All Quiet on the Western Front." In every chapter in this novel, the concepts of animosity, savagery, and danger are emphasized upon. In the eyes of so many people, war books should only reflect upon moral ideals, such as patriotism and honour. However, in contrast to other publicized war novels, this is one that is "neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure." Due to the fact that countless amounts of lives are taken on a daily basis and innocent soldiers suffer from the mental consequences from engaging in battle, Remarque's novel shows that "war" is truly a devastating thing. From legs, arms, and to their once "sane" minds, the young soldiers in the book lose everything, all because they either chose to join, or were conscripted into the army. WWI, was simply a war of imperial conquest. Thus, it was not fought for a critical cause or belief, but rather, many men lost their lives, trying to satisfy the wishes of their authoritative, political leaders. As a result, adolescents, who enlisted in the army right after graduation, were regarded as “the lost generation,” for all they were ever exposed to, was the danger, intensity and horrific outcomes of bombardments and trench warfare. When the soldiers returned back home, they felt out of place and confused, for they forgot what it was like to live as normal civilians. Since they had endured extreme amounts of hardships and no longer sustained stable mindsets, it was difficult for them to function in regular society. Consequently, some men resorted to committing suicide, while others, like Paul, remained in the army, only to await the arrival of death. This intricate novel, entitled “All Quiet on the Western Front,” relates to the theme of the story, for in the end, after Paul and his comrades have lost their young lives, while fighting for an unclear cause in such a brutal war, everything on the front has gone quiet. Since the veterans, corporals and recruits who were in the midst of battle, were attacked by their “enemy,” and evidently, were viciously out-powered and out-numbered, there was nobody left to continue defending the nation of Germany, on the western front. In my eyes, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” truly is one of “the greatest war novels of all time,” for it allows the reader to comprehend how horrendous the conditions were for the brave soldiers.
The most evident theme of "All Quiet on the Western Front" seems to be the awful effects that wars - especially senseless wars - have on the soldiers, both in a physical and mental sense. This novel, which goes through the horrors of World War I through the eyes of a young German soldier named Paul Baumer, focuses not on the violence of war, but rather the effects wars have on humans. Seeing as the author, Erich Maria Remarque, was himself an unfortunate participant in World War I, it seems that this book was his attempt to share with the world the true story of what a war is like; it is not about victory, success or ultimate happiness for the soldiers, but rather it is emotional torture if not death for these brave young men. The majority of the book delves deep into the mind of Paul Baumer, analyzing his thoughts and experiences so as to better portray how the author himself likely viewed the war he was a part of. The fact that Mr. Remarque himself was involved in what was essentially a brutal war of attrition gives this book a tremendous sense of reality and effectiveness. What better way to describe the horrors of a war but to have a soldier do it? The entire book seems to add up to the depressing ending where Paul Baumer finally dies, after having witnessed every single one of his best friends die in action as well. The title contributes its own hidden meaning to further strengthen the overall story. Paul Baumer died on a quiet October day in 1918 when "all [was] quiet on the Western front." However, the author includes an emotional twist at the end, which really makes the reader think. Remarque mentions how Paul died with a calm face, hinting the possibility that he died a happy man. So, in my opinion, the effects of the horrific First World War were simply so saddening and destructive to Paul's mind, that in the end he was happy it was over, even on a quiet day on the Western front. The nonchalant title seems to mirror Paul's state of mind at the time of his death, leading myself to believe that after having gone through a war, you have lost your identity, your friends, and, whether in the physical or emotional sense, your life. This was the theme of the book - tragedy and loss due to war.
I think the theme of this novel are the other hardships of war, apart from trying to survive through the brutel death of war. This theme is kind of unexpected for a war novel, because war is suppose known to be very savage. But in this novel, the author talks more about the hardships of living a war life compared to the normal life. They talk about how the soldiers feel about their friendships, with their fellow comerades and about how they think the war has effected them. Instead of describing to readers of all the bloody scenes at the front, they describe more about the inner deeper feelings of the soldiers.
This relates to the title, in that, this war book is titled using the word "quiet", instead of the usually thought of loud bombs during the war. Both the story and the title focuses on a part of the war that isn't usually talked about.
The title of the book is also used in the ending of the book. The theme is usually the most important thing of the novel. In this case, the most important thing about the war, is not the loud bombs, or which side wins at the end, and how brutely each soldier was killed. Instead, at the end the most important thing is how the war has effected the soldiers. With all the soldiers either dead, or scared for life, the front is lifeless, and therefore quiet.
There are two themes in the novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”. One of the theme is ‘racism can cause numerous of lives to be lost.’ Another theme would be ‘the horror of war can change a person completely, not only physically, but also mentally as well.’
National identity is very important to everyone. Racism is commonly seen and can cause conflicts between different people from different cultures. People are scared of what other cultures would bring into their land, and war could break out from this factor. Many would think that if a fight is the only way to protect their rights, and themselves, then they would battle to gain power over their ‘enemies’. Countless innocent people’s lives could be lost, even if they did not want to fight. In the novel, Paul realized that the ‘enemies’ they had been killing, were no different than Paul and his friends themselves. The ‘enemies’ were ordinary people living in another part of the world, not so different than Paul himself. After killing a number of people, Paul found that being patriotic meant nothing to him anymore. On the battlefield, the soldiers were more fighting for their own survival, rather tahn fighting for the glory of their nation. It was a “kill, or be killed” thing; if they did not kill the enemies, then the enemies will kill them. In the end, Paul and his friends realized that there weren’t really any “real enemies”. The only people that they were angry at were the government that brought war upon everyone; those who were sacrificing people’s lives to get more power for themselves.
The horror and violence of the war had caused Paul, and many others to change. The soldiers had been suffering physically, due to the hand-to-hand combats and injuries. However, they also suffered mentally due to the war. Soldiers had to be on guard night and day in order to survive. They could not relax for even a second. Even if they did survive, they would have to face the deaths of their beloved friends. All they would be able to think of was would they be the next ones to die. There is only violence and savagery on the battlefields; nothing of normal living.
In the end, when everyone died, the West Front is at last quiet. The title of this novel, was what the soldiers had hoped for; “All Quiet on the Western Front”, where there will be peace at last, and no more fighting.
I think the theme of the novel is to show war can kill you mentally as well, and not only literally. Which the novel supports this idea by constantly depicting the ideas of Paul. In a lot of occasions it left out what was really happening to really focus and articulate what Paul is thinking during a particular event. And as the novel progress we see the effects of the war on Paul’s state of mind, and how he slowly loses his companions and himself to the war. Almost as if with each death or traumatizing moment he loses a bit of his humanity or sense of belonging in the world. By looking at just the beginning of the novel and comparing it with the end we can see how differently he reacts to events. Where in the beginning he was seen to be more naive and placed into an environment that he blocked out or paid no attention to, but at the end he saw and understood the reality of it. Particularly at the end of the novel the reader is informed that the last of Paul’s remaining companions have died leaving him completely alone. From this he appears to have lost whatever was left of his sense of belonging in the world. He felt that what was left for him was death because all he knew of was that.
And how this all ties into the title of the story, is that the title is the depiction of the outcome of what had happen to Paul and his companions. It is the after event when Paul is the last to die, where he is left dead and the fight long over. Which, the fight is not only the war between one country and another but also the war within his mind with the repercussions of war.
Post a Comment