Resumo de Book Review: All Quiet On The Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque''s All Quiet on the Western
Front is a powerful novel about the disillusionment brought on by World
War I. Before the Great War, many countries in Europe had been
extending their powers and establishing empires and strong trade
developments. Many in these countries saw these strengths as signs of
their nations'' greatness. Also before World War I, there had never been
a war that used so much fire power in the form of grenades, mortar
shells, machine guns, etc. Wars were also seen as a moral activity and
the winning country often attributed its success to its own virtue.
World War I changed all of these opinions and Remarque (who fought in
WWI himself) does an excellent job of portraying the horrors of war and
the awakening experienced by so many of the young men who fought on the
front.

Before the novel opens, there is a short explanation which states:

"This book is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all
an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to
face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who,
even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the
war."(dedication page)
The book''s point of view is that of a German foot soldier who
spends much of his time fighting on the front. While other
nationalities are mentioned and questioned, Remarque at no time says
anything that would offend a reader''s personal loyalties. He simply
states what every soldier from each side of the war must have felt as
they faced each other in such inhuman circumstances.

The main thing I appreciated in this book was Remarque''s ability to
instill in the reader the grotesque images and events that men face in
a war. Remarque was able to do this without painting complicated and
graphic pictures. The few words he did use sufficed to give the reader
enough information to fill in the blanks and see for himself the
terrors that Remarque was describing.
Remarque is also able to avoid the obscene language that inevitably
flows through a soldier''s vocabulary. He does not try to cover the fact
that such words were spoken, he merely leaves the language out and
tells the reader that such an answer or statement was given.

As well as giving a report on life on the front line, this book
also explores the psychology of the soldiers. There are scenes where
the soldiers question their reasons for being where they are. They
remember the speeches thrown at them in school about the glory and
honor they will receive for defending their country. They ask
themselves if the boys on the other side also received such speeches
and if so, who was right and who was wrong. They wonder about the
issues they are fighting for and many of them realize that they have no
idea about why they are there.

At one point the men are dressed up and paraded before their Kaiser.
They begin to question the motives of their country and the motives of
the others who are involved in the war. As they discuss it one of the
men says, "One people offends the other-" Upon which his friend states,
"Then I haven''t any business here at all. I don''t feel myself
offended."(p. 204) These statements give an excellent insight into a
soldiers feelings and questions. Remarque is once again able to place
the reader inside his characters and let him feel for himself what it
must be like to be in such a position.

As far as I''m concerned, this book, All Quiet on the Western Front,
gives an eye-opening and realistic view on the terrors of war. Most
people recognize war for the horror that it is, and while there may be
times when it is unavoidable, most are ready to do everything it takes
to avoid such a catastrophe. Unfortunately though, there are always
those that are ready at the slightest provocation to go blindly into
the foray. Perhaps if more people read books like this one, they would
be more cautious about sI highly recommend this book
to anyone that is looking for something real and though provoking. They
will definitely not be disappointed.

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