Book Title : All Quiet on the Western Front
Author : Erich Maria Remarque
Language of Publication : German, Translated to English by : Brian Murdoch
Publisher : Vintage Classics
Genre : War
World War I, which began after the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, was a major event that changed the lives of many and even the world. All Quiet on the Western Front is a story built upon this war background. The story is narrated from the point of view of Paul Bäumer. He along with Albert Kropp, Müller, Franz Kemmerich, Joseph Behm and Leer are enlisted into the German army. Some of them join at their will and some under the pressure of their schoolmaster Kantorek.
The story begins at the war front where Paul tells us how Tjaden, his friend in the company, manages to find something to eat and the young boys eat to their full. All at the second company hold a grudge against Corporal Himmelstoss, their boss at the front. The soldiers, most of them as young as 19 are just pushed into the trenches without any training or so. They frankly did not expect the trench and the war front to be this difficult and inhumane. Apart from his schoolmates, he befriends Stanislaus Katczinsky, who always finds something to eat and blankets for himself and his fellow soldiers, Detering and Haie Westhus. The boys did expect the trench to be so inhumane and unfriendly, but with the help of their seniors, they get used to living amidst the slush, bullets and bombs.
Joseph Behm becomes the first among the friends to lose his life and in the second chapter, we come to face the hardship that Franz Kemmerich had to face. He develops a gangrene and has his leg amputated and dies a painful death. This makes the reader feel heavy and shed a tear at the plight of the 19 year old.
Throughout the novel, Paul makes us understand the lives and conditions of the soldiers in the trenches. Apart from bullets and bombs, their shelters are rattled with rats too. The days they go without food, taking off jackets and boots from the deceased and reusing them leaves the reader appalled.
The novel also throws light on how war changes these kids. They lose their innocence and mature early. Paul, for instance, goes home and doesn’t feel at home as he ends up missing being at the front.
Each chapter ends at a cliffhanger urging the reader to read ahead and at last, the inevitable happens.
Remarque through his words has highlighted the plight of soldiers during wars especially at a time when the technology of warfare and communication haven’t developed. As a reader, it makes me think were these young boys carved for such a life? Were they supposed to perish like this? This novel is not for the weak hearted for sure, as you are bound to shed a tear and feel heavy hearted. All Quiet on the Western Front, will bring that quietness to your heart and mind.