Author Erich Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an anti-war novel that explores how the hostility and terror of war impacts the men on the Front line. Remarque does this by focusing on key stylistic conventions that transform the characters of the novel which eventually leads to a form of alienation. This approach is a somewhat reflection of Remarque’s war experiences and how he himself was changed by the elements of war. This realistic approach to the novel and its themes allowed Remarque to show how each experience and stylistic convention changed the individuals within the book.
Throughout the novel Remarque uses his key experiences of war to develop themes that affect the characters of the novel. An existing theme is the theme …show more content…
Paul’s evolution is mainly shown through symbolism within the novel, of which Remarque utilizes Paul Baumer as a symbol of the average man of war. To elaborate, Remarque starts to change Paul the further the reader progresses within the novel. Essentially the story reaches such a point where Paul is changed entirely, from his morals to his personality, Paul was transformed. The change didn’t come suddenly. However as events taking place each have lessons to behold. What is meant by this is that each significant event Paul has endured has changed what he has come to believe in. This can be seen in the first chapters of the novel were kemerich dies and Paul realizes that him and his peers may die at any time. “...I’ll tell you just today we’ve had another sixteen fatalities, your man (Kemmerich) will make seventeen” (pg23) In fact Paul’s transformation can be seen through Remarque’s use of language. At the beginning of the novel Paul comes across as a quite immature and rough around the edges person, until the end of the novel were Paul takes on a more serious persona with different morals and beliefs. Overall, Remarque used stylistic conventions such as various forms of language and events to transform Paul into a man impacted by the brutality of …show more content…
At the beginning of the novel the foundation of this setting is set quite firmly as Remarque introduces us to the themes and basic aspects of war. It’s not until further on into the novel were the setting continues to increase in gritty realism and horror. This setting and atmosphere starts to turn good men such as Paul into battle hardened men of war. An example of such an occurrence takes place with chapter 11 were Paul is recovering within a hospital. “How pointless if all human thoughts, words and deeds must be, if things like this are possible! ... Civilizations weren’t even able to prevent this river of blood, couldn’t stop these torture chambers... .Only a military hospital can show you what war really is.”(pg180) The hospital, is perhaps the most nightmarish setting established in the book and Remarque structures it in such a way were the reader really feels what Paul is going through. This connection therefore helps the interpreter understand Pauls transformation and how the setting and atmosphere of war has impacted him.
In All Quiet On The Western Front, Author Erich Remarque utilizes stylistic conventions such as setting, atmosphere, language and symbolism to show the protagonist’s transformation. Remarque extends these conventions to a point where the reader establishes a connection with the protagonist helping