All Quiet on the Western Front is a Thought-Provoking Tale...

All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, is a thought provoking tale about war, and the soldiers who fight these wars. The main character is an 18 year old boy named Paul Bà ¤umer. Bà ¤umer, growing up in Germany, decides to enlist in the army alongside his classmates after persuasion from his teacher. His story begins at the front lines of World War One. After two weeks on the front, Paul’s company receives a reprieve from fighting. 80 of the original 150 men in the company (Second Company) return. During his time off, Bà ¤umer begins to reflect upon the circumstances that brought him there, his brutal time in training, and the death of one of his close friends. Over the course of this time of reflection, reinforcements arrive, and Bà ¤umer’s company is redeployed into the front. Paul’s unit is forced to go on a wire-laying mission. They are bombed, and lose many recruits on their return to camp. When they return, they learn that Paul and his classmates’ former drill sergeant, Himmelstoss, has come to join them in the fight. As he goes to order his former pupils, two of Paul’s accomplices, Tjaden and Kropp, insult him. They go to military court and are sentenced to two days of jail time, in the camp’s makeshift jail. The group, after this, is sent back to the front two days early along with the rest of the company. They fight for days. Paul laments about the loss of his and his fellow soldiers’ youth, stating ‘I believe we are lost.’ Finally, SecondShow MoreRelatedAll Quiet On The Western Front By Erich Maria Remarque1482 Words   |  6 PagesThe novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a tale about a group of young gentlemen in Germany who decide to join the army, and fight in World War I for their country. The boys become interested in fighting for their country after their schoolmaster informs them about the importance of this war. With much excitement, the young men have high expectations of what they want the war to be like. Throughout the course of the novel, the attitudes and opinions of the boys change as