Book Review — Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Today I had the pleasure of finishing what has been deemed by many as one of the greatest war books ever written, Erich Maria Remarque‘s classic tale, All Quiet on the Western Front. Specifically, mine is the English translation of the German novel.
Primarily taking place in the French countryside and trenches used by opposing armies, All Quiet on the Western Front follows the story of Paul Baumer from enlisting in the German army near the start of the war to his tour of duty ultimately ending several years later in October of 1918.
In All Quiet on the Western Front, the readers are given a detailed look at the horrors of what faced the infantry soldiers during the first World War. From machine guns to snipers to artillery to rats to starvation to the incredibly high death rates in the hospitals, life for the average soldiers was close to being a living hell. Throw in the countless number of attacks and counterattacks across No Man’s Land, accomplishing little apart from killing enemy soldiers, and you get a better understanding of how little the average soldier’s life was appreciated.
The war zones of World War One were massive killing fields, slaughtering soldiers by the hundreds of thousands. It was a blend of the classic style of warfare with million-man armies supported by artillery mixed with modern weapons such as the machine gun, poison gas, flame throwers, and airplane attacks. Many generals and commanders learned the hard way that horseback cavalry and infantry assaults could easily be defended with a few crews manning machine guns. Those soldiers who weren’t killed instantly by artillery shells or enemy attacks faced even more horrors from amputation-happy surgeons and deadly infections in their wounds.
What helps make All Quiet on the Western Front more realistic is that the author served on the Western Front in the German army. He was wounded by shrapnel and experienced the hospitals himself. Through his words you feel the camaraderie between Paul Baumer and his classmates. You also feel the horror and depression that he endures when his friends are killed one by one, ultimately leaving him what one can argue as suicidal near the end of the story.
All Quiet on the Western Front can be considered the epitome of anti-war novels. You won’t find any romanticized stories of gallant fighter pilots, cunning submarine commanders, or heroic soldiers who rally their fellow troops and slaughter the enemy. This novel focuses on reality and the traumatic experiences of losing your closest friends at random moments, questioning why soldiers on both sides are cut down like cannon fodder.
What makes All Quiet on the Western Front unique is despite its incredible popularity, the book is entirely from the Germans’ point-of-view. You know, those monsters that you barely hear about in high school history classes. It turns out that those enemy soldiers were as every bit human as the English, French, and later, American soldiers opposing them in Western Europe. They fought for their fellow soldiers just as hard as the soldiers with the Triple Entente. They bled, they trembled during heavy artillery bombardments, and they shed tears for their fallen friends. And like their opposing soldiers, most of the Germans didn’t want to be in the trenches either.
All Quiet on the Western Front is a must-read for not only fans of warfare and the first World War, but also for those who want to know the true meaning of friendship and comradeship. There are no heroes here. This is about survival, fighting for your friends, and finding any way to boost your spirits.
As a fan of the first World War, All Quiet on the Western Front is an eye-opener to what life was like for the average soldier. Now it’s time to watch the 1930 and 1979 versions of the movie. Word has it the movie is set to be remade again in late 2012.
