Transformations Through War (all quiet on the western front) essays

Transformations Through War (all quiet on the western front) essays The novel All Quiet on the Western Front depicts World War I, the most devastating war up until its time. The author Erich Maria Remarque gets across a few forceful themes. Perhaps the strongest theme is the transformations that war induces. All Quiet demonstrates through the character Paul, that going through war transforms many different things. It changes a society and individuals in many ways. War can have a temporary positive effect but for the most part it corrupts everyone involved. The way that war can have a slightly positive outcome is through changing how people view war. It distorts things by making humans act primitively, changing the way they see life, and by corrupting a society. There are a few ways that war can improve the way a person sees things. One slightly positive effect of war is that it can change peoples patriotic outlook on killing people. Before going to war everyone has a positive view of what war is. All Quiet demonstrates this when Paul reminisces back to when he was going to enroll. He talks about how one of his teachers had influenced him and his friends to participate in the war. The teacher influences them by telling them what an honor it is to fight for your country and how everyone will look up to them. When they actually got out there and were fighting they saw that its not worth it for their country. Its queer when one thinks about it, we are here to protect our fatherland. And the French are over there to protect their fatherland. Now whos in the right? Knowing that the other countries are there for the same reason as they are makes them question what theyre fighting for. Its horrible that it had to get to the point of war, but at l east sooner or later the soldiers have to realize that what theyre doing is not for a good cause. Another meager positive effect also has to do with the way that the soldiers ...