All Quiet on the Western Front

The author, Eric Maria Remarque, was a German anti-war novelist. He was drafted into the German army midway through WWI in 1916. His experiences set the tone for this book. He often draws on symbols and uses foreshadowing to state a point, such as he did when he portrayed a school to store new coffins – before the action started.

From the safety of the school room to combat on the front line, the book explores the horrors of warfare. The author is masterful at portraying all that is good and interesting about life through the personalities of the people on the battlefield; only to contrast that with the devastation of death.

Think about these questions and points as you read the book. They will help you determine a theme and develop a strong thesis.

Idealism versus reality: Does Eric Maria Remarque convince the reader that warfare is not honorable?

Disillusionment: Of the book, the narrator states: "It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war."

Quiet: What role does the concept of quietude play in this work?

Objects such as coffins can serve as themes, at times. Note the irony of the coffins stacked by a shelled-out schoolhouse.

From the book: "We go up to the front two days earlier than usual. On the way we pass a shelled school-house. Stacked up against its longer side is a high double wall of yellow, unpolished, brand-new coffins. They still smell of fir, and pine, and the forest."

Paul Bäumer: Enlisting from high school, Bäumer joins the German army full of idealistic views, most of which he learned from his school teacher – Kantorek. He is soon exposed to the horrors of warfare, and his thinking evolves from idealism to pure survival.

Albert Kropp: A class mate of Bäumer's. Kropp is an outstanding student and deep thinker. He is pessimistic about life following the war.

Muller: Believing that life has so much more to offer than warfare, Muller brings his textbooks into the trenches with him to study.

Stanislaus Kaczynski: Kaczynski is a 40 year-old soldier. He is wise, experienced, generous, and giving. He becomes Baumer’s closest friend in the trenches. When Kaczynski dies, Bäumer states "...they can take nothing more."

Kantorek: Bäumer's high school teacher is an example of a one-dimensional character. His unthinking idealistic patriotism projects a view of war that is noble, and even romantic.

Corpral Himmlestoss: He is the new recruits’ tyrannical drill instructor. Although he panics initially in combat, he eventually becomes respected when he brings back a wounded comrade.