catch 22 and all quiet on the western front
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The Devastation of War
War is not only a battle against another, but also a battle against oneself. War is an endless, exhausting, and nightmarish business without relief or purpose. In the novels All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller the true reality of war is seen through the eyes of the soldier. The novels allows the reader to see the heroism, the brutality, and the gradual social, moral, and emotional decay, which make up the story of the soldier's life in the field. In both novels, the experience of war, whether in the midst of the trenches or away from the line, creates drastic changes in the soldier's questioning of war, his options, and the final decision he makes.
In the first novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, the soldier's questioning of war is drastically altered. He no longer sees the war as just war, but starts to consider its purpose. For one thing, there is no variety to war, people live and people die. It is this simplicity that makes war so dangerous. The only variety that exists in war is the type of angish that the soldiers have to face...