Ivana Osenk
1101BU
English Studies Stage 1
Prose Text Analysis: All Quiet on the Western Front
Topic: This World War I novel is a story of powerful bonding among men. Using examples from the book, explain how Remarque develops his idea of comradeship in the face of battle
In All Quiet on the Western Front, the audience is exposed to the dreams of men who endure months upon months of warfare. Conditions are appalling and death is a common occurrence. This violent context shapes the soldiers' – and in particular our narrator's – concept of life and objectives. The soldier’s objectives are not elaborate, rather to keep sane and to stay alive. Throughout all the horrifying pictures of death and inhumanity, Remarque scatters a redeeming quality: comradeship. It is through Paul Bäumer’s interactions with characters and events that the importance of comradeship is developed and shows how the powerful bonding of men can enable them to face and survive in deadly, inhumane and ghastly environments.
Corporal Himmelstoss symbolises the violent elements of war, forcing the soldiers do inhumane tasks. He teaches the soldiers how to handle the harsh and brutal climate of war. Corporal Himmelstoss “had the reputation of being the strictest disciplinarian in the camp, and was proud of it” (21) He forces Paul Bäumer to perform dreadful and intense tasks, increasing his pain threshold and thus making him mentally stronger in order to withstand these inhumane duties, therefore preparing him for war. However this horrific experience brings Paul and the Second Company closer, and bonds them with hatred against Himmelstoss. Finally, Paul and Kropp rebel against him and refuse to follow his orders. This relationship between Himmelstoss and the soldiers is representative of the social hierarchy, Himmelstoss symbolising supremacy and strength through the government and the soldiers symbolising the lower class and oppressed by the higher powers. Through the whole training period, Himmelstoss’s repulsive abuse formed the men into cold and vigorous soldiers, but it gave them a sense of comradeship and bonding that made the trenches of the real war survivable.
