All Quiet On The Western Front

In Erich Remarque's novel "All Quiet On The Western Front", the main character Paul is thrust onto the Western Front of World War I on the German side. In the first few chapters Paul is faced with training camp, good meals, and the sounds of the front in the distance. In chapters five through nine Paul is faced with his first encounter with the front, some of his classmates dying, and the beginning of despair. In chapters ten through twelve Paul faces injury and is sent behind the front for injuries from shrapnel, soon is examined by nuns, and returns home from the war in which he is the only one of his class that survived. Throughout the whole novel Remarque jumps from idea to idea in no chronological order. This jumping from idea to idea enhances the telling of this story by showing what is running through a soldier's mind during war and that things are happening so fast that the brain has no time to place them in order. I find the tone of this novel to be very depressing and chaotic due to all of the dying and the horrors of war. The imagery is also interesting, Remarque describes how all of the characters feel, the fast pace of war, and the desire for survival.