rque. Little, Brown and Company. (U.S.A., 1990) 248pp.
On page 1 of the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”, we are introduced to a group of soldiers who transition from regular human beings to instinct-driven animals as they enter the front line of the war (53). These soldiers, including Paul Baumer and his childhood friends Kropp, Muller, and Kemmerich, all voluntarily joined the war at the age of nineteen (8). Throughout the story, they form strong bonds with Tjaden, Haie, Detering, Leer, and their leader Kat as they struggle to survive. Baumer shares various anecdotes about their experiences, such as their victory over their disciplinarian Himmelstoss and finding food during hungry nights. Sadly, Kemmerich and Haie die, leaving a profound impact on Baumer. After enduring heavy bombing, Baumer is granted seventeen days off, during which he realizes he no longer belongs to his hometown. He goes through training before returning to the front line.
The squad is sent to patrol a heavily bombed town. Both Baumer and Kropp get injured and are taken to the Catholic hospital. Kropp has his leg amputated while Baumer recovers. They say goodbye to each other. Gradually, the rest of the squad falls one by one. Detering flees, Muller is shot, and Kat dies in Baumer’s arms as they try to reach safety on page 2. The regiment starts losing the war and things become even more evil. Baumer, feeling lonely and tired after two years of fighting, dies in October 1918. After his death, peace settles in the western front.
Not only did Baumer and the others physically fight in the war, but they also battled their own minds, hunger, shattered dreams, and shattered lives. This internal struggle was just as significant as the external war they were engaged in.
The soldiers, who possessed a savage instinct, battled with their own minds. They dealt with the atrocities of warfare by suppressing their emotions. They understood that exposing themselves fully to the horrors of war would drive them to madness. However, one soldier knowingly defied this norm and discussed the indescribable horrors, despite its dangerous consequences. He feared that by articulating them, these horrors would become overwhelming and uncontrollable for him.
The soldiers developed a sense of apathy to dull their senses and prevent their minds from breaking down under the weight of the horror. This numbness protected them from being overwhelmed by the conscious thoughts they might have had.
The soldiers experienced constant hunger, even more unrelenting than that induced by shelling. Their lack of sustenance made them value food to the highest degree. A good ration of liver sausage and turnip bread was considered heavenly bliss to them. They recognized the significance of food, comparable to ammunition, and understood its necessity in sustaining them.
At the age of nineteen, the soldiers’ dreams were shattered by the brutal reality of war. This was the time when one typically starts to embrace life and find love, but for them, those prospects were left in the past. They were no longer deemed “Iron Youth” as their schoolmaster used to refer to them. Youthfulness was stripped away from them as they attempted to escape from their own existence, their own lives. At the tender age of eighteen, when they should have been enjoying and cherishing life and the world around them, they were forced to destroy it.
The first bomb detonation, the initial explosion… (page number not provided).The war has caused a rupture within us, extinguishing our belief in activity, progress, and striving. Our hearts burst with the realization that we now only believe in the war itself (79). The war has shattered their lives, leaving them unable to return home and feel a sense of belonging as they once did. At the time when we were stationed in peaceful sectors, I remained oblivious to the war’s impact. However, I now realize that I have been crushed without even realizing it. I no longer feel like I belong here; it feels like a foreign world to me (146). They appear unfamiliar when dressed in civilian attire, as the army has transformed them. They used to possess small things that indicated their youth, such as writing and reading. It is astonishing to think that back at home, within the drawer of my writing table, there is a draft of a play titled Saul and a collection of poems. Many evenings were spent working on these projects, as we all engaged in similar pursuits. However, these endeavors now seem unreal to me and beyond my comprehension (23). At the age of nineteen, their lives were abruptly cut short and shattered, forever transforming them into soldiers rather than boys.
They engaged in warfare, engaging in deadly encounters and managing to survive. The primal instinct inherent in all animals emerged within them. They skillfully evaded the explosive shells and anxiously held their breaths to escape the gas bombs. The passing of time is reflected in the lifeless expressions of those on the brink of death. We hastily consumed food, ran, threw, shot, killed, and fabricated stories. We were weak and exhausted (116). They fiercely fought against the inevitability of death, facing the relentless onslaught of shells, gas clouds, and fleets of tanks that brought destruction and decay.
Dysentery, influenza, and typhus are all intense and fatal diseases.
Trenches, hospitals, and the common grave are the only possibilities that exist (238). Remarque has an extraordinary talent for words, capturing the essence of the frame and portraying the horror of war. In his writing, we witness soldiers with blown open skulls and others running on their splintered stumps to the next shell-hole. There is a lance-corporal who crawls a mile and a half on his hands, dragging his shattered knee behind him, while another reaches the dressing station with bulging intestines clasped in his hands (117). Remarque’s metaphors bring a fresh perspective to the reading, merging fragility with the harshness of war. He compares the dwindling strength of soldiers to flickering flames that struggle to survive against the storm of dissolution and madness (232). Additionally, he likens the days of destruction to angels in blue and gold that remain incomprehensible amidst annihilation (240). Through his vivid descriptions, Remarque paints a vivid picture of death invading the soldiers’ senses. The sky is cloudless and blue, but as evening falls, it becomes sultry and emits a heavy, sweet smell of blood carried by the wind from the earth (240).This deathly exhalation emitted from the shell-holes appears to be a combination of chloroform and putrefaction, causing nausea and retching. Death is depicted as a life-sucking mist, an enigmatic atmosphere that signifies demise. Despite the night being warm, my hands grow cold and my flesh creeps solely due to the cold mist, a mysterious phenomenon that hovers over the deceased, draining their last hint of life. By morning, the corpses will turn pale and green, their blood congealed and black.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a groundbreaking novel that revolutionizes the perception of World War I. It showcases the harsh and brutal reality of the war. During that era, going off to war was considered an immensely heroic act; however, this book reveals that it was not merely about gaining territories but also about losing lives. It presents a compelling narrative about those who experienced it firsthand. For those who never had the proximity to the war, this novel provides a glimpse into the horror, chaos, and profound sadness endured. It breaks the illusionary glamour associated with war, presenting an unfiltered and realistic portrayal depicted by Erich Maria Remarque.
