Thoughts on "All Quiet on the Western Front"

I've been reading All Quiet on the Western Front for class, and decided I would blog my thoughts about the book. It's a story told in the first person from the point of view of the main character, Paul Bäumer.


Thoughts


Although the first and second chapters of a book are generally the chapters where little happens aside from character development, this book has some strong character development within the first few pages. For example, when the Second Company entered the mess hall to eat and Ginger wanted to wait until all 150 80 men had arrived, Katczinsky immediately responded that the other 70 men were either "in the dressing room or pushing up daisies." While Ginger was complaining, Lieutenant Bertinek arrived and ordered him to serve all of the rations.

Near the end of the first chapter, Franz Kemmerich was shot in the leg. The leg had to be amputated, but it seemed obvious that Kemmerich was going to die. Müller was eager to take Kemmerich's boots and didn't want an orderly to get them first. To me, it seems beyond inconsiderate to even think about talking about the possible death of someone you know excitedly, but I've never been served in a war or even served in the army at all.

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At the start of the second chapter, Paul reminisces about various things that occured in the past – the poems he used to work on and how he no longer felt he had any connection to that, and how he had nothing to connect him to the life before the war; how Müller was sympathetic for Kemmerich's plight but just wanted the boots because they would better fit his needs than they would Kemmerich; and the class' ten week's boot camp training. The other half of the chapter takes place in the hospital where Paul watches Kemmerich slowly succumb to Death and converses with him in the final hours before his death. The chapter ends with Kemmerich's death and Paul's taking the boots to Müller, whereupon Paul notes "they fit well."

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Another thing I find worth noting is that the story is told from Paul Bäumer's point of view. That in itself isn't unique, but the story is as much about his thoughts as the events occuring, if not more.