With the world in turmoil and far bloodier, gorier scenes being created in video games than could ever be captured in a book, one would think a war novel, translated to English in 1929, would have lost its impact over the years. The startling, but very real truth, is the impact of the novel has not faded over the decades. It has been nearly a century and the words are still as powerful as the day they were written. Originally written by Erich Maria Remarquee and translated later by A.W. Wheen, anybody who reads it would be stunned by how true the words, lessons, and harshness of war still are today. Granted there are instances throughout the novel wherein Remarquee clearly used imagery in order to show the horrifying psychological trauma of war, rather than a clear picture of it. For instance, one scene shows a man who continues to run after his head is blown off . Other scenes however, such as one featuring the sound of a dozen dying artillery horses, screaming for their lives has Wheen writing, “It is a martyred creation, wild with the anguish, filled with the terror, and groaning.” The scene, similar to Picasso’s “Guernica,” shows the novel to be a work of almost absolute modernism, even for its time and subject.
Regardless of if one reads the novel in German or English, one thing will be clear throughout: the story is alive with the ferocity of war and emotion. During a war that is not so deluded by poetry and novels about men who did not exist, doing extraordinary things that did not happen, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” attempted to inject reality back into a very real situation. While there are, of course, situations in it that do not, nor could they ever, happen, the feeling of war is very real. Trailing World War I, literature the world saw was widely anti-war in response to the government’s, as well as the world’s efforts. “All Quiet on the Western Front,” was another of these novels, supporting the anti-war sentiment that had led so many idealized young men into the trenches thinking they were going to do something greater than themselves when really, they were simply going to die for a cause they did not understand. In addition, if they did survive, they would return bloody and scarred, both physically and psychologically.
Though the book was written by a German author for Germany, it is one any individual around the world can relate to. War leaders in Germany expected the war to be over shortly, promising a war that would last only a few months. Those who signed up did not expect to be away from friends and family very long. In fact, most believed the war would be over by the end of 1914, as they expected to beat France within the month, and lay waste to the rest of the Eastern Front thereafter. Russia, Germany thought, would be an easy opponent. As most war efforts go, however, it took longer, there were delays, and the plans did not go even close to how commanding officers saw them going. This could be said of any war, whether one thinks back to World War II, the Korean War, or even America’s latest efforts in Iraq. No war goes as planned and it is the troops who suffer. The book’s seemingly archaic message is particularly relevant today.
That being said, in September of 1914 when the German troops were stopped in the Marne, stuck in trench warfare, an entire generation of young men was destroyed as a result. In an effort to save them, and save any face for themselves, swift peace terms were drawn up toward Germany as the war came to an end, as Germany was the country initiating the aggression and the starter of the conflict. Germany, both the citizens and the government, had maintained high hopes for the war’s results, being sure they would return victorious in their efforts. However, the result was a bitter resolute between the citizenry and the government. German military was attacked with much criticism, as well as cynicism about their war efforts. The novel follows specifically Paul Bremer, a young German infantryman assigned to the Western Front. He tells the story from a first person stance, allowing the reader to be in the driver’s seat of the story. We see Paul has been sitting on the Western Front for not a few months, as the German government has promised these young men, but over a year . He is one of the unfortunate individuals to have joined the efforts in the first few months of the war.
The reader begins to see Bremer change throughout the novel. He was once an idealistic high school boy, full of hope and promise. He wanted to show that he was able to help his country in its time of need, as did his classmates. In fact, his entire class enlisted together in an act of patriotism, as his teacher at the time insisted . Though he was once a young man, ready to see war however his schoolteacher told him to see it, his year away from home has taught him to see through the flashy slogans he has been shown at home. Once referred to as the generation of, “Iron Youth,” he realizes as a soldier who has done something for his country he was never worthy of that name as a child. The dichotomy is further reinforced as Bremer does not relish his newly taken title, but rather focuses on staying alive and maintaining his sanity, noticing his growing irritancy for those who trust slogans of war without really knowing anything about it.
This situation can be compared, again, to any war any country has experienced. Young men hear words of encouragement and slogans to inflate their egos. However, they find the reality of war when they arrive is nothing like the slogans. In fact, they quickly learn to look beyond the flashy slogans, seeing that war is dirty, dangerous, and deadly. The slogans, as Bremer found, are often used to lure the stupid and ignorant into feeling as if they will be useful to the war effort, that they are even a crucial part of the country’s success. Patriotism is funneled down their throats as individuals of a higher rank, such as Bremer’s schoolteacher, demand capable men step up and fulfill these unspoken obligations to their country. Once Bremer sees these, he continues to be a part of the war effort, much like many of the men continue to do so now, but only out of obligation. The patriotism in him appears to have died.
War eventually transforms Bremer and his young classmates into what Remarquee described as “wild beasts” and old men. At the time in which they become stuck in a trench, fighting for their lives, they begin to realize what hopeless truly feels like. There is no way out, they are trapped like rats, and they continue to be fired upon by the enemy. The thrill of victory would by quickly drowned by the relief of survival. However, happiness about survival would not last long either, as Bremer and his classmates see no futures for themselves. Dedicating their lives to the war as seventeen-year-olds (though the English version says they are nineteen), they do not believe they will find careers with such modest educations. What woman would have anybody from such a band of broken men? They will have nobody to build a life with? Their life is the war, and while they are miserable, they begin to feel it is all that they have.
While this is possibly the most frightening feeling any of us can think of, it is indicative of the post-traumatic stress many troops return with today. Not just American troops suffer, either. All troops suffer from PTSD, and it can occur in many forms. One such form believes you have nothing but the war. Many troops return home and even though they have a wife, or children, a job, a house, a dog, or anything else in their life to return to, they may want to go back to war. Their mentality was this is all I have. The war is all I have, and these normal things seem foreign to me. The feeling of, “the abyss,” as Remarquee refers to is, I indicative of the feeling many troops have today and is just another testament to how relevant, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” is decades after it was written.
The novel goes on to strip away what Bremer and his friends believed about war, as mentioned. They once valued what they would eventually accomplish in war, believing they would return as heroes. Now they must struggle with the idea of whether they want to return home at all. It is human nature to try surviving, but their futures appear too bleak for them to bear. The disillusionment of war has also corroded their respect for authority. Kantorek, the schoolteacher who encouraged the classmates to enlist in the first place has shaken their faith deeply in respectable people they should trust.
Moreover, their Superior Officer, Himmelstoss, perpetrates many horrific acts in the name of war and discipline, which further shake the men’s trust, confidence, and obedience to authority. The war continues to shake the foundation of their sanity by making them question the sanctity of human life, as they are asked to kill, though they are not sure if they believe in the reason for these killings anymore. Are they murders now if they do not stand behind the war effort? Alternatively, are they still justified killings because they are being done out of patriotism for the betterment of one’s country? These are, of course, difficult concepts for seventeen and eighteen-year-old men with high school educations to reconcile. Their entire lives they have been told what to do, and now they are forced to decide for themselves what it right, at a time when if they disobey, they could be killed. It is seemingly impassable crossroads, leaving many of the young men writhing with insanity throughout the novel.
The novel shows that war essentially destroys these young men. Through all of the attacks, even those who survive are never the same again. Many lose limbs or incur disfiguring scars. Others return with deep emotional scars for which there is no ointment or surgery. Some, despite the odds, manage to maintain their humanity throughout the struggle to survive, which is what it appears the author was truly trying to convey. Sometimes an individual can come out of the other side with scars, but can still be himself or herself. Detering, for example, left his farm to join the war effort. He is offended in the utmost when the artillery horses are slaughtered, and even insists the company share food with a kitten they find along their travels . Baumer is another character who is able to maintain an amount of sanity. He remains compassionate for other humans, comforting crying soldiers who become overwhelmed with the battles. The entire company attempts to maintain senses of family, as well, helping facilitate a meeting between Lewandowski, his wife, and his infant while in the infirmary. These glimmering images of hope during a hopeless time show that, though war will try to take everything from you, and though those around you will lie about it, you are stronger. You can take yourself back, and you can remain human and fight not only for your country, but also for yourself and your brothers.
In sum, while there are hopeful notes such as these throughout the novel, it is overall still a story about the bloody truth of war. The war goes on and the western front sees more battles. Bremer’s hope fades, as do the hopes of his classmates, many of whom die in battle. After the deaths of Kemmerich, Westhus, Muller, and Haie, Bremer finally heads home on leave. He wants to fit back into a normal world but knows that if he succeeds at “fitting in” it will only be a sham, much like it was during his time at war. The war has destroyed him. After his best friend, Katczinsky, is killed, Bremer realizes he feels completely empty. As World War I ends, so does Bremer’s life, though Bremer welcomed the death. Similarly, many of today’s troops welcome the death as well. It is again a parallel for the ages, the story of a man too young, who goes to a war he was not prepared for, and the only release he received after watching his dearest friends die, was death itself.
Works Cited
Remarquee, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York City: Ballantine, 1987. Book.
