All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All Quiet on the Western Front Millions dead, tens of millions injured, for what? For a petty argument between two countries. War is devastating to countries and most indefinitely individuals. Men can be left disturbed mentally, physically, and socially for the rest of their lives. Is this necessary? Well maybe you should decide after reading the next few paragraphs. You can decide if the war being fought is a war of dignity and glory as everyone would make it out to be or if it was a battle of death and gore. You maybe surprised at what happens to men out there. Well it would be glorious to be wounded and or die for your country right? Well maybe if you were the one seeing everything from the outside looking in. If you were a soldier your outlook on war may be a little different. The physical ailments of the young men are terrible. Some even consider it lucky if you die. For example, Remarque made it very clear that he was aware of the pains men were forced to endure when he put Paul and Albert Kropp in the hospital. Paul was going on leave and asked Albert if there was anything that he could get for him and Kropp said, "A gun." Paul showed his disapproval of this idea and Albert said something to the degree of I would rather die then live without a leg. Another example was when Kat was wounded by the bomb that went off while he was delivering supplies to the men on the front. Kat could not even walk. Then while Paul was taking him back to the First Aid center the man said, "He's stone dead." Paul was so oblivious to what was going on that he simply replied, "No, he's just fainted." When he looked at his hand and found a bullet wound in the back of Kat's head he was so stunned that he could not even think or see straight. In the real world people would leave their homes cheerful young men and return tattered worn cripples. Men would return with missing appendages. Some would return without legs. Others would come home without sight or unable to breathe on their own.