All Quiet on the Western Front

In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque informs the reader about World War I and how life changed for every soldier who fought in this war. Remarque shows this by his writing style in which every chapter has it's own primary focus instead of going in order. In doing this Remarque is able to better capture and focus on Paul Baumer's emotions. Paul, being a soldier who volunteered for war along with his classmates and friends. For example in Chapter 7 Paul is given leave for two weeks and decides to go home. While he is on leave Remarque changes his focus from emotions within the war to emotions being felt outside the war. Adding in emotions from his family and friends and how they feel about the war. Then in Chapter 8 Paul is sent back into the war but first goes to a camp. While at this camp Paul is assigned to guard the fence connected to a prison, while doing this he takes out his cigarettes and gives each prisoner half of a cigarette. By doing this Paul shows that he doesn't see these people as his enemy they are just another person stuck in the same war that he is. He wasn't assigned to kill them or to hate them so he doesn't. This way Remarque is able to show even more how Paul and every soldier feels about actually being in war and having to kill people and that they don't actually have anything against the people they are fighting they just do it because they are told to do so and would otherwise be killed.