All Quiet on the Western Front Destroying a Generation...

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Remarque, is a classic anti-war novel about the personal struggles and experiences encountered by a group of young German soldiers as they fight to survive the horrors of World War One. Remarque demonstrates, through the eyes of Paul Baumer, a young German soldier, how the war destroyed an entire generation of men by making them incapable of reintegrating into society because they could no longer relate to older generations, only to fellow soldiers. Paul believed the older generation ...ought to be mediators and guides to the world... to the future. / The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in [their] minds with greater insight and a more humane wisdom. Paul, his†¦show more content†¦When he is reunited with his mother [they] say very little, but when she finally asks him if it was very bad out there Paul lies. In trying to protect her by lying, Paul creates a separation between his mother and himself. As Paul sees it, the tragedies and horrors of war are not for the uninitiated. Sadly, the true nature of war further separates the two generations. While on leave, Paul also visits his father and some of his fathers friends, but does not wish to speak to them about the war. The men are curious [about the war] in a way that [Paul finds] stupid and distressing. They try to imagine what war is like but they have never experienced it for themselves, so they cannot see the reality of it. When Paul tries to state his opinion, the men argue that [he] sees only [his] general sector so [he is] not able to judge. These men believe they know more about the war and this makes Paul feel lost. He realizes that they are different men here, men [he] can not understand... and Paul wants to be back with those he can relate to, his fellow soldiers. Paul wishes he had never gone on leave because out there [he] was a soldier, but [at home] he is nothing but an agony to himself. When Paul returns to the battlefield, he is excited to be with his comrades. When he sees his company, [Paul] jumps up, pushes in amongst them, [his] eyes searching, until he finds his friends. It is thenShow MoreRelated All Quiet on the Western Front Essay927 Words   |  4 Pagespreceding war novels to All Quiet on the Western Front, misrepresented or overlooked the anguish of war, in favor of more resplendent ideals such as glory, honor, or nationalism. The predominant issue of All Quiet on the Western Front is the terrible atrocities of war. The reality that is portrayed in the novel is that there was no glory or honor in this war, only a fierce barbarity that actually transformed the nature of human existence into irreparable, endless affliction, destroying the soldiers longRead MoreAll Quiet on the Western Front1141 Words   |  5 Pagesthe lives of many men as they were lured to abandon their lives and fight. 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