All Quiet

Remarque's World War I novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, revolves around the effects that war has on Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier, and his comrades. During his time in the war, Paul Bäumer changes from an innocent, carefree young man to a hardened and cynical veteran. Paul and his comrades begin their military experience by patriotically marching off to join the army. They carry with them naive notions of the glories of war. These visions are soon replaced with the horror of reality as friends and fellow soldiers are wounded, mutilated, and/or die on the battlefield.
The soldiers join the corps knowing nothing except the innocence of youth. At nineteen and twenty they are forced to mature a lifetime in a matter of weeks as they become more adapted to their new home. Throughout the book, Paul experiences first-hand the hardships brought on by war. He learns the psychological and physiological destructiveness of war that seems to elude the civilian population. The em...