In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque portrays the horrors of war. Remarque himself fought in World War I, which may be why he presents war as being so horrifying. He effectively depicts these horrors through the everyday experiences of German soldiers during World War I, and especially how the main character, Paul, has been dehumanized by war. Paul remembers what he was like before the war, but he tries not to think about it because he knows he can never be that person again. He cannot relate to a typical way of life.

Before the war, Paul was a normal, somewhat scholarly person. He spent all his money on books. He did not think of much but school and he did not know what he would do with himself after he finished high school. As the war progresses, some of the older men talk about their lives at home, and what they will do after the war. However, Paul cannot relate, as he has no life besides school and war. He is no longer interested in learning, and he comments several times throughout the book that all the things that he used to so dearly love are pointless to him now. At one point in the book, Paul and his friends from school mock the things they used to think were so important, such as “How many children has Charles the Bald?” (84). He thinks about how the only things that matter to him now are how to listen for different kinds of shells, how to find cover, and how to stay sane during an artillery bombardment.

Paul was very carefree and innocent before he went to war. After returning from the front, Paul gets sentry duty, which gives him time to stand in the darkness and reminisce about his childhood:

“Between the meadows behind our town there stands a line of old poplars by a stream. They were visible from a great distance, and although they grew on one bank only, we called them the poplar avenue. Even as children we had a great love for them, they drew us vaguely thither, we played truant the whole day by them and listened to their rustling. We sat beneath them on the bank of the stream and let our feet hang in the bright, swift waters. The pure fragrance of the water and the melody of the wind in the poplars held our fancies. We loved them dearly, and the image of those days still makes my heart pause in its beating.” (120).

Instead of being cheered by this memory, Paul is saddened. Even though the stand of poplars is still there, he cannot enjoy it as he used to.

When Paul goes home on leave, he sits in his room and attempts to read his old schoolbooks and classical literature that he has collected. However, he cannot remember why he thought them to be important. He tries not to think about it, because he knows nothing that he can do will make him enjoy learning again. Paul reflects:

“The backs of the books stand in rows. I know them all still, I remember arranging them order. I implore them with my eyes: Speak to me–take me up–take me, Life of my Youth-you who are care-free, beautiful-receive me again-

I wait, I wait.

Images float through my mind, but they do not grip me, they are mere shadows and memories.

Nothing-nothing-

My disquietude grows.

A terrible feeling of foreignness suddenly rises up in me. I cannot find my way back, I am shut out though I entreat earnestly and put forth all my strength.

Nothing stirs: listless and wretched, like a condemned man, I sit there and the past withdraws itself. And at the same time I fear to importune it too much, because I do not know what might happen then. I am a soldier, I must cling to that.” (172-173).

He also cannot relate to anyone he used to know, including his family. His father wants Paul to dress in his uniform, so he can show off “his soldier,” and does not understand why Paul refuses. His father also wants to hear stories about the front, but Paul refuses to tell him any: “I realize he does not know that a man cannot talk of such things; I would do it willingly, but it is too dangerous for me to put these things into words. I am afraid they might then become gigantic and I be no longer able to master them. What would become of us if everything that that happens out there were quite clear to us?” (165). Paul never truly thinks about what happens at the front. He never has to worry about it, because he is killed before he gets a chance to.

Remarque further illustrates how Paul has been hardened by war when Paul states

“Parting with my friend Albert Kropp was very hard. But one gets used to that sort of thing in the army.” (269). Paul has gotten used to losing friends. Every single one of his friends is killed over the course of the war, and then Paul is killed as well. The only death that truly hurts him is the death of Katczinsky, his best friend, who is portrayed throughout the book as being sort of “untouchable.” Katczinsky is Paul’s best friend, even though he is much older than Paul at 40. He is also somewhat of a father figure for Paul and his friends. He has a strange knack for finding food, and even finds four boxes of lobsters at one point. It seems as though nothing bad could ever happen to him, but in the end he is hit in the leg, and as Paul carries him to the infirmary, Kat is killed by a splinter from a stray shell.

Many books, movies, and games portray war as being heroic; however, All Quiet on the Western Front shows war as a terrible thing, capable of turning men into animals in seconds. It shows how the main character, Paul, is turned from a young, innocent schoolboy into an emotionally-numb soldier. To make the ending even more affecting, Paul himself is killed on such a quiet day that the entirety of the military report is “All quiet on the Western Front.” Perhaps Remarque ends the book this way because he wishes he had been killed as well.

Dear Mr. Pelzer,

I have read your book, A Child Called “It”, twice now and both times it has brought me to tears.  It kept me very interested and yet sometimes I had to force myself to read because of how horrible it was.  A child Called “It” has opened my eyes to the area of child abuse, made me think harder about life, and challenged me.

Reading it the second time forced me to think more about what was happening in the book.  As I read, I realized how God does work in mysterious ways and how we do not see the whole picture but He does.  It amazed me the way you kept on saying that you gave up on God or you did not believe He was real and yet you kept on praying.  He was your only hope and the only one you could talk to.  In the end, it all worked out for good and that showed me that if we hold on and keep on hoping and praying God is going to bring us through whatever we are going through.  God was there with you, keeping you from jumping off the side of the ship and healing your wounds, and through all of it you gained a better appreciation of life.  It was all part of God’s plan.  If you had not gone through all of the abuse and survived you most likely would not have been the person you are today.  You would not have made such a big difference in the lives of abused children.  I realized that we have to be thankful for the good and bad in our lives because it really shapes who we become.

Another thing I learned from reading your book was that we can not look to humans, money, power, or whatever else to save us.  You always looked to your Dad as your savior even though he let you down so many times.  In the end he deserted you and the family.  This goes to show how we are all sinful and we can not rely on others for protection because all of us make mistakes. Our only true source of protection comes from God.

The biggest way it impacted me was it really inspired me to be an elementary teacher.  Reading it sparked a flame in me.  I have always loved children and reading the book broke my heart.  I want to be a teacher that shows love and respect to each child as and individual.  You wrote about the incident with the substitute teacher, “The substitute teacher had been so nice to me.  She treated me like a real person not like some piece of filth lying in the gutter.”  Wow, our actions and words can make such a difference!  That is the type of teacher I would like to be.  While reading the book, I realized how much I want to make a difference in people’s lives, especially children’s lives.  I want to be the one to give a hug to a hurting, lonely, and unloved child, like you had been.

A Child Called “It” was such an encouraging book to read.  I got so much out of it.  I learned that we need to trust and rely on God to bring us through each situation.  He is the only one that will save us.  Sometimes we do not understand His plan but we just have to trust Him.  But most importantly I realized how badly I want to make a difference in children’s lives.  Thank you for writing this book.  I am sure it was a long and hard process but I believe God has used it to encourage many people just like it encouraged me.

Sincerely,

Kari Landis

The book, Flat Stanley, is a fiction book that has chapters. The author, who is Jeff Brown, wrote this book. When this book was published in 1964, Scholastic, Inc. was the company who published it.

In an average size city, Flat Stanley lives with his parents, who are Mr. and Mrs. Lambchop. Regardless of what happens, they are happy and calm. Arthur, who is Stanley’s younger brother, is helpful, but is jealous of Stanley’s fame at times. Living in an apartment, Stanley is happy. Although summer is hot, Stanley enjoys it.

While Stanley was asleep, a bulletin board fell on him. When he woke up, he found himself flat. In the book, Stanley had many adventures including like catching the sneak thieves. Arthur has been nice to Stanley, but sometimes he gets a little jealous because Stanley gets the attention.

Gratefully, Flat Stanley catches the sneak thieves, which makes him a hero. Far away, people started to laugh at him and he did not like that. It is important to do kind deeds.

I like Flat Stanley because he is flat. Stanley had a great time at my house because he got cold and he went on a trip when my Dad went to Omaha. He had fun!