the same things they are suppose to in the same way or with the same attitude. The have lost their youth and are indifferent. We are forlorn like children, and experienced like old men, we are crude and sorrowful and superficial- I believe we are lost (Remarque 123). Many of these people who went to the front to fight could have contributed to society. They could have been politicians, businessman, teachers, and fathers. The First World War was long, indecisive, and tremendously destructive ( Mckay/Hill/Bucker 89). Erich Maria Remarque encourages to reveal to the reader how disillusioned the soldiers were who went through this terrible ordeal. The veterans who make it are hard, tough, and insensitive. For example, how can a person who fought on the front relate to a man working in the factory all day. Imagine sitting in the trenches for days or even weeks and praying that an artillery shell does not land on you and hoping your gas mask works. Individuals who went off to war for the patriotism and nationalism of the country just became part of the masses to be slaughtered. World War I was a no win situation for the soldiers. There were no winners in this ongoing stalemate and fighting for your country seemed almost inane and ridiculous. These nave young men were conned into fighting for their fatherland by these extreme patriots, or jingoists and for what?There is nothing romantic about combat. For each person that lives, there are many more that are killed, wounded, or scarred. Values and whole generations are lost and there is no way to redeem that. War is horrific, saddening, and gruesome. Its destruction easily outweighs the romantic notions that were taught by Kantorek, their schoolmaster and others who deceived the iron youth and youth in general into fighting a bloody unromantic war....
