Requirements of Change

Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, uses his writing to portray war as he views it. A huge issue that Remarque made obvious was that war impacted the lives of boys more than they would ever think. Two subjects used to graphically demonstrate the drastic effects of war include death and thoughts. “[F]or those who die as cattle?” (Owen 1). People who die must not live in the back of anyone’s mind, nor should the thought of the loss be in the front of the mind during war.

Just witnessing death can affect a person. Paul sees many, and can’t even sit still in the peacefulness of his own home. One occurrence that sticks in Paul’s mind is the slow, gurgling death of a man who Paul stabs to death. The man, as Paul later notices, has potential to befriend him, but the lateness of the situation comes back to reality. Had war not existed, could they have known each other? Could they have partied together? War tears people apart, from the outsides first until the insides come into view spiritually. When a sniper catches a soldier off guard, does Paul realize the brutality of killing at its maximum. That sniper can jump up and down