Paul Baumer of Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” doesn’t discover his identity, he creates it through a series of life-altering decisions. His evolution from 19 year old student to soldier, then to killer, and ultimately to a victim of war, can be attributed to each seemingly insignificant choice he makes.

The first decision Paul makes that will change the trajectory of his life and the way he perceives himself is volunteering to join the army. The act of joining the military gives Paul the steadfast and resolute identity of soldier, a role in his community that suggests honour as opposed to shame. Baumer expresses that “At that time everyone’s parents were ready with the word ‘coward’”, implying that the threat of ostracization pushed the boys towards their new, society-approved identities of heros. Through sharing traumatic experiences with their fellow classmates, often in close-quarters, the group of young men develop their own distinct identities within the larger ‘umbrella-identity’ of soldier. …show more content…
He realizes quickly that he has committed an irreversible act, stating: “This is the first time I have killed with my own hand, whom I can see close at hand, whose death is my doing.” John considers his friends who have killed on the battlefield, quickly finding that he, too, will become one of them. This is an incident that will always affect him, that his conscience will not let him forget. He articulates that the dying man “has an invisible dagger with which he stabs me,” each time the man takes another breath. The memory will haunt him, and his sense of self has been irrevocably changed by a single base human instinct to protect