All Quiet on the Western Front
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All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Remarque is a historical recreation of what German soldiers encountered in the later years of World War I. Published in the 1920's this was the first book to be written in retrospect to the reality of what war truly was, mind numbing and full of terror. Remarque unambiguously wrote truth to war rather than the much romanticized and heroic versions that had been so publicized before. He would write about a generation of men who were "destroyed" by war.
To characterize this lost generation, Remarque enacts different themes and symbols throughout the text that the reader is able to distinguish as they move from chapter to chapter. A simple pair of boots, fatality, and the emotional upset would be Remarque's focus throughout the book. By the end of this novel, the reader finds themselves having met eye to eye with battle, mutilation, and episodic emotional breakdowns that can only be seen via the perspective of a man at war during the early 1900's.
All Quiet on the Western Front is entailed with the many stumbles a typical soldier in the war at hand may have had. Remarque tells this portrayal through the actions and experiences of the main character, Paul Baumer, a nineteen year old who volunteers himself to fight in the war as well as did several of his friends. Inspirational patriotic speeches from their teacher would be what led them on their way...