Attitude in All Quiet on the Western Front :: essays research papers

All Quiet on the Hesperian FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front shows the change in attitudes of the men in front and during the war. This novel is able to portray the overwhelming effects and power war hasto deteriorate the human spirit. Starting out leaving youre home and family and ready to fence for you country, to ending up tired and scarred both physically and mentally beyond description. At the beginning of the novel nationalist feelings be present by pride of Paul and the rest of the boys. However at the end of the war it is appargonnt how pointless war really is. All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that greatly helps in the understanding the effects war. The novel best shows the attitudes of the soldiers before the war and during the war. Before the war there are high morals and growing nationalist feelings. During the war however, the soldiers discover the trauma of war. They discover that it is a waste of time and their hopes and dreams of their life fly go on a nd further away. The remains of Paul Baumers company had moved behind the German front les for a short rest at the beginning of the novel. After Baumer became Pauls first utterly schoolmate, Paul viewed the older generation bitterly, particularly Kantorek, the t each(prenominal)er who convinced Paul and his classmates to join the military. While they taut that duty to ones country is the greatest thing, we already that demise-throes are stronger.... And we saw that there was nothing of their world left. We were all at once terribly alone, and alone we must see it through.(P. 13) Paul felt completely betrayed. We go away make ourselves comfortable and sleep, and eat as much as we can stuff into our bellies, and drink and smoke so that hours are not wasted. Life is short. (P 139) Views of death and becoming more comfortable with their destiny in the r became more apparent throughout the novel. Paul loses faith in the war in each passing day. * Through out the novel it was evident that the war scarred the soldiers permanently mentally. Everyone was scared to go to war when it started. Young recruits were first sent because the veterans knew they were dismission to come back dead. When we runt again, although I am very excited, I suddenly think wheres Himmelstoss? Quickly I jump back into the dug-out and find him with a small scratch lying in a corner pretending to be wounded.