Author Erich Maria Remarque poses throughout the entirety of the novel, The Road Back, the question of what the effects of World War I are on German youth caught in the line of fire. Often, we are left wondering what is to come for these soldiers and how they will assimilate back into ordinary civilian life. Before entering the war they were but mere children; now they have matured and witnessed hardships far greater than many will ever experience. As Remarque’s second novel, The Road Back can be seen further establishing his social concerns within the roles of the surviving characters. Was the war a necessary evil or was it purely an effort to isolate and ruin Germany’s youth and civilization as a whole? World War I has taken its toll on