The War’s Effect’s Towards Soldiers
World War I was one of the most significant wars in U.S. history. It was significant because it created a gateway for new tactics, weapons, and it carved the way for a whole new style of warfare. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul Baumer, the main character, and his comrades go through horrifying experiences that affect them both physically and mentally. Throughout the book Paul shows how war is a dehumanizing experience, but he continues to find ways to make him more human by appreciating the little things that he didn’t notice before his previous war experiences. Throughout the war Paul witnesses things that make him more empathetic and compassionate. These specific war experiences have influenced Paul in both negative and positive ways. For example when Paul comes to realize that the Russian prisoners are suffering he suddenly shows sympathy towards them by, “I take out my cigarettes break each one in half and give them to the Russians.” (194) As Paul overlooks the violence and fighting of the war he realizes that the so called “enemy” is just another man fighting for the same reason as he is. Paul now has a new outlook on the war and he is showing a very unexpected sensitive side, which is most definitely him being “human”. During the intensity of the war Paul was holding nothing back while being in battle with the men shooting at them with no feelings or regret. As Paul now looks at the enemy he comes to the conclusion that these men are simply doing their duty, just as Paul and the other soldiers are. Another example of Paul’s experiences at war making him more human is when him and Kroop unexpectedly come across a poster of a beautiful, clean cut, French woman with a man in a sailor’s outfit. They’re reaction is “The girl on the poster is a wonder to us. We have quite forgotten that there are such things and even now we hardly believe our eyes.” (141) It has been a very long period of time since Paul and Kroop have seen a female due to their commitmentship to the war. When they see what in their eyes is a beautiful girl it is their first sight of something not war related it makes them beyond joyful and hopeful for a future. It is a human instinct of Paul and Kroop to be instantly attracted to the opposite gender, and regardless that they are French the men are still relieved to have come across something that assures normality when they know they’re in the middle of chaos. Throughout Paul’s war experiences he has been involved in many up’s and down’s. Living his life in the war not knowing what is yet to come has made Paul think war is dehumanizing, which in many of his cases and memories it is. Some of Paul’s war experiences have actually ended up affecting him in a positive way making him more human regardless if the situation is destructive or beneficial towards himself and his comrades. Overtime during the war Paul witnesses in full effect the reality of everyday being life of death. While tragically watching his closet friends and leaders die in battle Paul becomes more appreciative towards the simple things like nature that he wouldn’t have noticed or cared for before serving in the war. Paul’s mind set dramatically changes through the harsh effects of war. As he now has a new outlook on things in life with much more appreciation unlike before his war experiences when something so simple like being surrounded by nature was not noticed and taken in. “Never has life in it’s niggardliness seemed to us so desirable as now; the red poppies on the meadows round our billets, the smooth beetles on the blades of grass, the warm evenings in the cool, dim rooms, the black mysterious trees of the twilight, the stars and the flowing waters, dreams and long sleep – O life, life, life!” (285) Paul related nature to life; it made him love life even despite of the countless amounts of hardships he has gone through. Regardless of the tough situations of war, when Paul is able to distract himself from the truth of brutal violence, and battle at any time it makes him able to relax and truly enjoy the simplicity and beauty he has found in nature. “The most beautiful are the woods with their line of birch trees. Their color changes with every minute… I often become so lost in the play of soft light… It is when one is alone that one begins to observe Nature and to love her.” (188-189). Paul shows a true human side to him as he is known for his compassion for others, and now his love for nature. The appreciation that Paul has for nature is emerged from the fact that it has protected him during his own hardships at war by giving him shelter during battle. Another reason for his strong value of nature is it makes him feel secure, and shows true beauty that is rarely seen while at war. The beauty of nature within the repulsiveness of war in action, deaths, and the constant feeling of being unsettled. Paul see’s the nature and it gives him hope, he is able to appreciate the astonishing beauty of nature to the fullest extent. As one can see in All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul undergoes horrifying experiences that “dehumanize” him and his comrades, but overtime he becomes more human by appreciating simpler things that he didn’t notice prior to war. Remarque’s message of All Quiet On The Western Front was: The worst experiences in war are the ones that only a soldier fighting in war can experience, the ones that are just interpreted by others to make the experiences look better. So, instead of judging how a human has been “dehumanized,” we should give the soldiers more respect for giving up so much for so little.