Story about the horrors of war for ordinary German soldiers-World War I --1914-1918
The Western Front is between Germany and France
Western Front between Germany and France
Author
Soldier in WWI-age 18-seriously injured
Hitler
All Quiet on the Western Front banned in Germany and book burned
Remarque fled Germany
His Sister killed by Nazis
The book follows a group of ordinary soldiers through a year of fighting during WWI. All will be dead or seriously injured by the end of the novel. The “young” soldiers were patriotic at the beginning and thought war would be a great adventure, instead war is a horror.
Characters
Paul Baumer
Narrator/Main Character
Convinced to join German Army by a patriotic teacher (Kantorek)
Emotionally destroyed by war before he dies
Stanislaus Katczinsky
Oldest soldier, experienced and resourceful
Mentor
Dies while Paul tries to save him during battle
Classmate of Paul’s
Asks Antiwar questions throughout the story
Muller
Classmate of Paul’s
Constantly questions what they will do after the war
Tjaden
Skinny soldier-eats a lot
Hates Corporal Himmelstoss-wants revenge
Kantorek
Paul’s teacher
Convinces Paul and his friends to be a patriots and join the army
Paul and his friends grow to hate Kantorek and his ideals
Gets Drafted, a terrible soldier
Character related to the theme that war makes men power hungry and brings out worst qualities in humans
Trains army recruits
Mailman before the war
Cruel to new soldiers
Sent to the front-afraid and tries to apologize to the soldiers
Franz Kemmerich
Paul’s classmate
Minor leg wound-gets gangrene-leg amputated-dies slowly
Meaningless of death in war
Life of a common soldier is cheap
Joseph Behm
Paul’s classmate-first to die
Did not want to enlist
Caved into peer pressure
His death causes young soldier to question “authority”
Detering
Close friend of Paul’s
A farmer with a wife and family
Homesick
Gerard Duval
French soldier Paul kills in hand-to-hand combat
A printer with a wife and family
Most traumatic experience for Paul in the war
Leer
Paul’s classmate
First to lose his virginity in the war
Haie Westhus
Soldier
Former peat digger (hates his job)
Thinks war will give him opportunities for a better career
Kindevater
A bed wetter-still a child, not a man
Officers are cruel to him
Lewandowski
Plots to have sex with his wife
Becomes a training officer
Torments Kantorek at the front for revenge
Themes
Horrors of War
** Similar to The Things They Carried (the physical and emotional burdens of war)