All Quiet On The Western Front

The Destruction of War The semi-auto biographical, anti-war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front was composed by the German WWI veteran, Erich Maria Remarque. Theme is the message the author illustrates to the reader. The theme Remarque depicts to the reader is the awful horror and destruction of war, and how war affects everything in and around it. Remarque expresses the theme of this novel through the action in the story, the characters' statements, and through Remarque's use of description and symbols.

The theme is shown in the action that takes place in the novel. Shells exploding, bullets whizzing by the characters' heads, and the description of the deadly creep of the gas makes the reader feel like he is in the battlefield with the soldiers. As the reader, I could picture the action taking place, and I could feel the characters' emotions. The action in the novel exposes the reader to the terrible events that occur in war, and it shows the reader how pointlessly unjust war truly is.

Remarque, Erich Maria: Im Westen nichts Neues. Rom...

Українська: Еріх Марія Рема...

Remarque in Davos, 1929.

Also, the characters' dialogue among each other and the thoughts the author shares with the reader are other ways the author illustrates the theme. The way characters converse with each other show their shared animosity for this war in which they are forced to fight in. They express to each other how pointless it is for them to be fighting for a cause that they do not quite understand. Their dialogue shows how they have been callused to emotions held by any normal human. Paul's thoughts also show how war has taken a terrible toll on his once youthful life. His thoughts of death and life show that he, along with many other soldiers, are not afraid of death and do not dwell on the thought...