The years leading up to World War I were characterized by extreme nationalism as well as glorified militarism. As a result, the world was shocked and unprepared for the widespread destruction and devastation brought on by the war. As seen in the novel All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque as well as poetry by Wilfred Owen and Thomas Hardy, the harsh realities of WWI compelled soldiers to erase their own identities and essentially become emotionless beasts—changes that would render them incompatible with the society they came from. The setting of war sees soldiers not as unique individuals, but simply a generalized unit part of a bigger whole. Paul proves this by explaining how the strictly disciplined preparation for the …show more content…
A prime example of this emotional detachment happens when Paul explains Müller’s interest in Kemmerich’s boots: “But as it is the boots are quite inappropriate to Kemmerich's circumstances, whereas Müller can make good use of them.” (21). Although Müller grieves for his dying childhood friend, his prime concern is to be resourceful and take advantage of what is available to him. Müller’s desire for his dying friend’s boots would be seen as insensitive in normal society, but fighting in the war has erased his emotions, replacing them instead with an animalistic instinct for survival. Similarly, in Owen’s poem “Arms And The Boy,” the speaker makes a point about the animalistic nature of war by describing a young boy who possesses “no talons at his heels, / Nor antlers through the thickness of his curls” (line 13-14). Owen brings up that humans have no biological features such as talons and antlers that are used for fighting, and by outfitting an innocent boy with a gun, he becomes an unnaturally animalistic killing machine. Although these young soldiers are known as “iron youth,” in reality they can hardly be considered youth because war has restricted their emotions and taken away their