All Quiet On The Western Front: Themes :: essays research papers

All Quiet On the Western Front ThemesAll Quiet on the Western Front is a graphic limning of the horrors ofwar. In the short note before Chapter virtuoso, Remarque lets the reader knowexactly what themes he intends. War is a savage and gratuitous evil, war isunnatural, and war is responsible for the destruction of an entire generation.Remarque is very clear on the strength of his themes, and uses graphic imageryto convey to the reader the physical and psychological impact that war has onhumanity. But Remarque uses more than graphic description to support his themes.Remarque also utilizes a very defined personality motif, with the forces of reputationconstantly rebelling against the conflict it plays battleground to. With the globe itself, the source of all things, supporting his themes, Remarque has aseemingly unbiased witness bearing testament to his observations. Remarque canuse nature as the judge to correct war, along with shocking imagery, so that hisliterature remains with out a trace of nationalism, political ill will, or evenpersonal feelings.     It should be noted that the nature motif is carried consistentlythroughout the novel, and that it supports many of the authors lesser themes.For the purpose of portraying war as something terrible, though, the naturemotif is expressed most dramatically in the following passages. These passagesmark the three distinct stages of natures condemnation of war rebellion,perseverance, and erasure.     The first passage occurs in Chapter Four when the troops are trucked outto the front to raise stakes and wire. However, the narrators squad isattacked unexpectedly by an English bombardment. With no visible enemy to fight,the soldiers are forced to take cover and live out the bombardment. In theprocess, the earth is shredded and blown asunder. It is during this melee thatmany of the companies horses are wounded, and begin to bellow terribly."It is unendurable. It is the mo aning of the world, it is the martyred creation,wild with anguish, filled with terror, and groaning."     The bombing subdues, but the bellowing continues."The screaming of the beasts becomes louder. One can no longer distinguishwhence in this now quiet silvery landscape it comes ghostly, invisible, it iseverywhere, between heaven and earth it rolls on immeasurably."     Remarque is none too subtle in using the dying horses as a metaphor forthe Earths own anguish. As the men face a new horror, nature is revoltingagainst the damage being done to it. Remarque will return to this usage of thenature motif, with war being anomalous and unnatural in the "natural" world.