AQ from Russell Henkel

All Quiet on the Western Front

                In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque tells the story from the point of view of a young German soldier named Paul Baumer in World War I. Paul’s story shows how gruesome the realities of war truly are. Images of destruction and dead bodies are often used when describing the way Paul is seeing the war. The story does not go in chronological order but jumps around. This is like a flashback that a previous war veteran deals with. This enhances the interest in the book due to a lack of information given. The use of point of view is crucial in the story. Baumer being a young man does not know much, and he soon feels like all he knows is war. He also feels a sense of remorse about killing his enemies because they are much like him, just a soldier following orders. All Quiet on the Western Front shows how traumatic war can be to a young man such as Paul, and also no matter how hard he tries he will forever live with the horrors of the war.