All Quiet On The Western Front Themes :: essays research papers

1) The Destructiveness of War     A major(ip) theme, not only on lives and property, but also on the sympatheticspirit. Men are subject to physical tor ment-eyes are blinded, limbs are winded off, blood flows everywhere, and innocent men die in agony. Whensoldiers take protection in the graveyard, bombs explode on the whole around them,the living hide in coffins and the dead are thrown from their graves. The destructive power is so bully that even the fundamental differencesbetween life and death become blurred. The shock of war on the spiritis subtle. They find themselves less able to returrn to civil life-friends die all around them.2) The Lost Generation     This theme is an emergence of the destructiveness of war. Paulsgeneration grew up too fast, its perceptins of life grossly distorted bythe horror or war. The youthful idealism that might someday sacrificeblossomed into constructive maturity has been nipped in the bud. Unlikeearli er generations, Paul raft never again hope to find comfort andinspiration in the hollow rhetoric of politicians and generals. The warhas shattered their illusions. Their innocence is gone, and only inaimless skepticism is left to fill the void.3) Comraderie     The theme of comraderie occurs constantly in the novel. The comraderiethat exists in Pauls company keeps them from being driven insane by thehorrors all around them. In a sense, the comraderie among Paulsfriends can be seen as a last desperate clinging to the innocence ofyouth. These young men were transported almost at present to thebattlefield from the schoolyard. The adolescent pranks of Paul and hisclassmates can be seen in their " full-grown" behavior, as in their attack onHimmelstoss. If the social responses of Paul adn his friends search attime childish, it is essential to remember that these are young menwhose experience of life took them directly to the barracks from theclassroom. If th ey seem immature, it may be because they werent devotedthe chance to grow up normally. The best example of this theme os whenKat and Paul shared their roasted goose with Kropp and Tjaden. Theywere taking administer of each other.4) Alienation     The theme of alienation develops as the novel progresses. At first,Paul and his friends still behave as if their lives will someday devoteto normal. In the middle of the book, Paul goes home on leave, only to come across that his real home is now with his friends on the front.