All Quiet on the Western Front Essay -- English Literature

All Quiet on the Western Front The 19th century view of war expressed that it was the most honorable and glorious event that a man could participate in. This romantic viewpoint was quick to change after World War I. In addition, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front further illustrated the ghastly nature of war. His descriptive writing portrays the graphic details of reality, leaving the readers of the 20th century in shock. Since Remarque was the first author of his time to reveal these lifelike affairs, his novel helped change their perspective of war, forcing them to not want any part of it. In his novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Remarque utilizes the main character Paul to symbolize the people of the 20th century. Along with his peers, Paul is encouraged by adults to fight in the war, especially by his teacher, Kantorek. Paul knows nothing about war before he enlists and is quickly disgusted to realize his mistake. Remarque writes, â€Å"Naturally we couldn’t blame Kantorek for this. Where would the world be if one brought every man to book? There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best – in a way that cost them nothing† (12). Here, Kantorek symbolizes all the elders who pushed naà ¯ve teenagers to enlist because they felt that war was glorious and romantic. The adolescents that followed their directions had trust in them because of their authority. However, the ones who professed enlisting were not the ones who did the actual fighting – they did not witness the cruelness nor live the brutal, soldier life. Remarque continues, â€Å"The first bombardment showed us our mistake†¦We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously ... ...rred in the 19th and 20th centuries. Our modern technology has played a large part in changing our viewpoint of war. Movies have started to display the gruesomeness of war as well as video games allowing users to partake in war-like violence. Our current war is even being shown live on the news channels, demonstrating the violence. Therefore, the people of the 21st century have become desensitized to the realities of war. Thus, the readers of the 21st century have already been introduced to the issues that Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front communicates. Along with technology, the fact that the United States is so honest and open with war has allowed children to become familiarized with this subject at an early age. Consequently, the effect on Remarque’s readers in the 21st century is quite different from the effect on the 20th century readers.