Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) is the first and arguably most famous anti-war novel. It is set during World War One, on the Western Front, a German, French border. This is where the German army fought the French and English armies, in intense trench warfare, during that era. This story tracks the life of the fictional Triple Bäumer, a German soldier, who fought at the Western Front between 1914 and 1918. The purpose of this book is to show the horrors of war, not how great it is.
The story essentially just tracks the life of Triple Bäumer, the narrator of the story. It shows his time through military training and his time at the Western Front, between 1914 and 1918. It shows his emotional changes, from being a teenage boy, finishing school, to that of a German soldier at the Western Front. How he believes he changed from a well brought up boy, at school, to a soldier at military camp, and an animal at the Front. It also tells the tale of his friends, basically all 19 year olds, like the narrator himself, with the exception Stanislaus Katczinsky and Haie Westhus, who all subsequently and tragically die. It tracks their lives in the war, their issues like emotional blankness and isolation, and their own ways to cope with the war
The most interesting aspect of this book is that it shows the horrors of war, it is an anti-war novel. Possibly, the first ever made, it tracks the emotional aspects of the war, the pain and misery people went through. Unlike other books at that time, that showed how great war could be, and the unbelievable heroics of it, this showed the truth of it all. Another significant aspect on the book is that it isn’t sympathetic in some aspects. When people die, it doesn’t dwell on people’s pain surrounding the death. This shows that the soldiers grew used to death, and death became a natural thing, making the book even more realistic.
The Author shows the horrors of war, from a 19 year olds point of view. The Author writes this book in first person, from the fictional Triple Bäumers, point of view. This allows the Author to make the book more emotional and allow the reader to interact with the narrator and his friends. The interaction allows the reader to feel what those soldiers are feeling, like in one section of the book; I could feel hatred and disgust to the rats which lied in the trench with them. The first person point of view, the Authors Style, makes the book more of a testimony to soldiers, then a recount of the war.
The main issues explored with this book, is emotional change through war, and the horrors of war. The biggest issue the book explores is emotional change, which the narrator explains extensively throughout the novel. The narrator, Triple Bäumer, believes that he used to be a normal, well brought up boy. This changes when he goes to the front, where it becomes a fight for survival. He changes a lot, from a well mannered boy, to a rebellious recruit, to a soldier, and finally an animal at the front. It also tells of his emotional blankness concerning love, death and sympathy. The book also explores the horrors the war. From the military training, time at the front, getting shot and shelled at, and having to fight for survival, which includes killing people.
Due to the fact that it’s the first anti-war novel, there are no older books that compare, or a similar to this. Yet still, no real book today, compares to it in telling the horrors of war. Some modern movies may do so, such as Platoon, and Apocalypse Now, which both don’t show the heroics of war at all, just the craziness and horrors involved.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I would suggest it to any mature reader, who enjoys reading classical novels, or novels which have a deep meaning to it. After reading this, you will never view war as a fun-playground again, instead, you will think of it as a hell-hole, a place which wrecks lives and is never sympathetic.
The story essentially just tracks the life of Triple Bäumer, the narrator of the story. It shows his time through military training and his time at the Western Front, between 1914 and 1918. It shows his emotional changes, from being a teenage boy, finishing school, to that of a German soldier at the Western Front. How he believes he changed from a well brought up boy, at school, to a soldier at military camp, and an animal at the Front. It also tells the tale of his friends, basically all 19 year olds, like the narrator himself, with the exception Stanislaus Katczinsky and Haie Westhus, who all subsequently and tragically die. It tracks their lives in the war, their issues like emotional blankness and isolation, and their own ways to cope with the war
The most interesting aspect of this book is that it shows the horrors of war, it is an anti-war novel. Possibly, the first ever made, it tracks the emotional aspects of the war, the pain and misery people went through. Unlike other books at that time, that showed how great war could be, and the unbelievable heroics of it, this showed the truth of it all. Another significant aspect on the book is that it isn’t sympathetic in some aspects. When people die, it doesn’t dwell on people’s pain surrounding the death. This shows that the soldiers grew used to death, and death became a natural thing, making the book even more realistic.
The Author shows the horrors of war, from a 19 year olds point of view. The Author writes this book in first person, from the fictional Triple Bäumers, point of view. This allows the Author to make the book more emotional and allow the reader to interact with the narrator and his friends. The interaction allows the reader to feel what those soldiers are feeling, like in one section of the book; I could feel hatred and disgust to the rats which lied in the trench with them. The first person point of view, the Authors Style, makes the book more of a testimony to soldiers, then a recount of the war.
The main issues explored with this book, is emotional change through war, and the horrors of war. The biggest issue the book explores is emotional change, which the narrator explains extensively throughout the novel. The narrator, Triple Bäumer, believes that he used to be a normal, well brought up boy. This changes when he goes to the front, where it becomes a fight for survival. He changes a lot, from a well mannered boy, to a rebellious recruit, to a soldier, and finally an animal at the front. It also tells of his emotional blankness concerning love, death and sympathy. The book also explores the horrors the war. From the military training, time at the front, getting shot and shelled at, and having to fight for survival, which includes killing people.
Due to the fact that it’s the first anti-war novel, there are no older books that compare, or a similar to this. Yet still, no real book today, compares to it in telling the horrors of war. Some modern movies may do so, such as Platoon, and Apocalypse Now, which both don’t show the heroics of war at all, just the craziness and horrors involved.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I would suggest it to any mature reader, who enjoys reading classical novels, or novels which have a deep meaning to it. After reading this, you will never view war as a fun-playground again, instead, you will think of it as a hell-hole, a place which wrecks lives and is never sympathetic.
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