The fourth chapter begins with Paul and company heading to the front. As they approach the front, they get more and more alert. Pual narrated that he wouldn't call it tenseness, although I probably would, having no better word to describe it. As they go deeper into the front and closer to their destination, the sounds of war are eminent from all around: shells exploding, guns firing, and the batteries of the Allied powers which started an hour too soon.
Although I'm no expert in warfare, I would only expect the other side to attack sooner than usual if they either expected to be able to take the area successfully, or thought they were going to be overrun soon and wanted to make an impression on the opposing side. Based on earlier comments by the main characters, such as "We're loosing the war because we can salute too well", the latter is probably not the case, meaning they must expect to be able to take the land they're attacking soon.
There are a lot of absurd moments in this book. I don't mean absurd in a funny way, I mean it in a philosophical way. Absurdity in a philosophical sense is related to existential questions we have about ourselves and the world.
ReplyDeleteLook at this article on existentialism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialism
In what way is the comment about losing the war because of saluting too well an existentialist comment? How is it absurd in the context of what is actually happening at this point in the novel? How does it contribute to the novel's darkness?