scribed instructs the reader in the needless suffering and loss brought on by war. The author makes a point about military leaders through one of the characters. Kropp notes about rise in rank, “As sure as they get a stripe or a star they become different men, just as though they’d swallowed concrete” (43). Kat mentions that military life brings out the worst in men, particularly the abuse of power over lesser men. This is a significant part that the author adds into the book because it illustrates a metaphor of the greater powers wanting to attack the weaker countries to gain more power; imperialism, which is one of the main causes of the war. In chapter 4, one of the most dramatic in the book, it depicts the way Paul reacts to the intense fighting along the western front. As Remarque’s most emphasized explanation of how war reduces combatants to simple survival skills, the chapter depicts reminders of humanitarianism and compassion quickly returns, impelling the men to help the other wounded and dying men.In chapter 5, one can see examples of Remarque’s wartime humor. For example in Haie’s description of lice marked by red crosses on their heads. (79) In the end of the book, Paul’s final words, “I am so alone”, (295) summarize the treachery of the war, an insidious indefinite feeling of debility which removes all ties with life, leaving and an empty, dehumanized shell which bears no will to live. Thus in this anti-war novel, Remarque narrates the tragedy of war in graphic detail, recalling all the inhumane tragedies and environmental parodies that occurred. Not only does he describe the devastation of the German troops but he also details the horror inflicted upon the French and the Russians. In this book, the author is starkly telling the story of World War I. His main goal in this anti-novel is to bring the reader into the atmosphere of WWI so that he can feel the tragedies and...
