All Quiet On The Western Front 2 Essay, Research Paper

Any and all events in one’s life may change a person profoundly, but the effect may not always be as expected. For instance, situations of despair may cause feelings of depression and uncertainty to develop in an individual, as would likely be expected. However, those same situations could ultimately lead to a sense of fulfilment or enlightenment. In the novels All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Remarque, The Wars by Timothy Findely, and A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemmingway, the varying possibilities of the effects of war on an individual are clearly displayed. In All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer finds the war has changed not only the way he views himself in the present, but also the way he views his past and his future. In The Wars, Robert Ross finds himself on a path of uncertainty, questioning the apparent loss of humanity in the world around him. Yet he ultimately uses the war as a medium through which the true essence of his character is able to shine. Finally, in the American classic A Farewell To Arms, Lieutenant Henry recognises that he is losing himself in the war and attempts to find an escape through love. As a result of the horrors and tragedies surrounding them, the characters in these three novels question their sense of self in light of their experiences in the war.

In Remarque’s All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer encounters many inner struggles. Through examining the changes occurring within himself, he finds he can no longer relate to his own past. His present thoughts and feelings are quite reclusive in nature and as he looks ahead, he finds himself fearing how the repercussions of the war will affect him in the future. As Paul reflects on his past, he realises that it is difficult for him to believe that he used to write poems or plays: “And of this nothing remains.” (Remarque, pg.23). That aspect of his previous life seems unreal and incomprehensible, perhaps even vague because since he came to the war he feels cut off from his early life. It is as if he has lost the person he used to be. Not only does Paul feel he has lost himself as he used to be, but he also believes that he would not be able to recapture his past, even if given the chance: ” these memories of former times do not awaken desire so much as sorrow Once we had such desires-but they return not. They are past, they belong to another world that is gone from us.” (Remarque, pg.106). From this quote it is clear that Paul feels his childhood is out of reach. He has lost his desire to recapture his memories, perhaps recognising that they may not mean all that much to him now anyway, due to the fact that he feels he has already lost the world those memories originated from. When Paul returns home on leave, he realises that it may not be him losing a previous world of memories, rather the previous world is losing him: “I cannot feel at home amongst these things There is a distance, a veil between us.” (Remarque, Pg.139). Paul feels out of place when he returns home, reinforcing his fears that the war has changed him irreversibly. As Paul recognises this occurring change throughout the novel, his thoughts and actions become reclusive. After killing an enemy soldier in battle, the effects of the war on his sense of self become evident. Talking to the dead man he has killed, Paul says: “from you, taken life- and from me-? Life also.” (Remargue, pg. 193). He feels he has lost himself, and although he is still alive, he feels that the man he previously was no longer exists. Recognising the severity of the way in which the war could potentially affect him, Paul reacts by repressing his thoughts and feelings about the war. He refuses to put his experiences into words while speaking to others, in fear that the reality of his experiences will become evident and the true essence of everything surrounding him will become painfully clear: “What would become of us if everything that happens out there were quite clear to us?” (Remarque, pg. 143). Paul recognises that if this were to happen he would no longer be in control of his emotions because they would overwhelm him. He cannot risk upsetting the delicate balance he has achieved in his efforts to avoid madness: “We are little flames poorly sheltered by frail walls against the storm of dissolution and madness, in which we flicker and sometimes almost go out.” (Remarque, pg. 143). Paul is clearly struggling to hold onto his sanity. If he were to admit realities to himself, he fears that the frail walls he had built will collapse and the madness he is trying so hard to repress will likely flood in and extinguish his flame. However, although he is attempting to repress the madness as a technique of survival, he realises he cannot continue in this manner forever: “Whether I have subdued it, I know not. But so long as it is there it will seek its own way out, heedless of the will that is within me.” (Remarque, pg. 247). Paul recognises that despite his efforts, he will eventually have to face the realities of everything he has experienced in the war and he cannot help but fear how these realities will affect his future. Acknowledging that the war has changed him, Paul begins to anticipate the inner struggle he will face in order to regain his old self to once again merge with a society that he now feels isolated from: “All these things that now, while we are still in the war, sink down in us like a stone, after the war shall waken again, and then shall begin the disentanglement of life and death.” (Remarque, pg. 122). Paul fears the future because he knows it will be wrought with confusion as to who he is, or rather, what he has become. He will attempt to separate himself from the years of death he has faced on the battlefield, likely only to realise that you cannot separate yourself from something that has become a part of you: ” and so we shall march, our dead comrades beside us, the years at the Front behind us:- against whom, against whom?” (Remarque, pg. 123). In his future, Paul will have to march against himself in an ongoing inner struggle to regain his previous sense of self. However, Paul never reaches this struggle as he is killed in battle, and even in death he seems relieved to have avoided the inner turmoil he would have faced: ” his face had as expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come.” (Remarque, pg. 248). In All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer is changed by the war in such a way that he is unable to view his past, present, or future with any optimism or certainty.

In Timothy Findley’s The Wars, it is seen that although war does often lead an individual down a path of uncertainty, it may also be a medium by which the true essence of a man may shine through. Throughout the novel there are instances where Robert Ross seems lost or changed by war: “He had a great deal of violence inside and sometimes it emerged.” (Findley, pg. 174). The war brings out Ross’s bad temper, a characteristic that under normal circumstances he would prefer to keep somewhat repressed. However, the war is not a normal circumstance, and in dealing with all the issues surrounding him, he cannot help but have his anger surface. This anger surfaces again later: “his anger rose to such a pitch that he feared he was going over into madness.” (Findley, pg. 203). In light of his experiences in the war, Robert is on the edge of permanently losing himself, and his anger rises with such severity as to even have him fear that he is losing himself to madness. During the war, Robert recognises that the acts being committed are atrocious and he fears how the rest of the world will look upon these men after the war is over: “I doubt we’ll ever be forgiven. All I hope is- they’ll remember we were human beings.” (Findley, pg.180). The war causes him to feel he is losing his sense of humanity because the acts being committed around him are the very antithesis of humanity. The war does, however, allow for a sense of optimism from Ross, showing that in times of controversy, the true essence of the man is revealed. Even in entering the war, Ross is not merely looking for a weapon; rather, he wants to be challenged. In looking for a man he can emulate, he finds one in “a man to whom the war wasn’t good enough unless it was bigger than he was.” (Findely, pg.32). This reiterates the idea that Robert Ross is in the war for a bigger reason than to fight. He is searching for meaning, purpose, and perhaps even a sense of significance. Later, Ross commits one last desperate act to give meaning and purpose to his presence in the war: “He was a hero he did the thing that no one else would even dare to think of doing.” (Findley, pg.10). He recognises that he cannot save himself, so in an attempt to display his commitment to life in the midst of death he tries to save the horses: “It was the war that was crazy. Not Robert Ross or what he did.” (Findley, pg.10). Ross sacrifices himself for his cause to accentuate the value of life while being surrounded by nothing but death. In sacrificing himself, he once again demonstrates his true character. Initially, Ross joins the war because of the death of his sister. He had felt that there was no meaning left in his life at home. Throughout his experiences in the war, however, his sense of the value of life returns. When the nurse offers to help Ross die as he lies in the hospital, he declines: “Not yet There, is those two words, in a nutshell- you have the essence of Robert Ross. And perhaps the essence of what it is to be alive.” (Findley, pg. 216). Although plagued by the horrors of war, Ross comes through as a man to whom the value of life overcomes both the war and the uncertainties of the man himself. In a situation where he cannot help but feel insignificant and lost, Robert Ross finds a way to do something significant for himself.

In Ernest Hemmingway’s A Farewell To Arms, Lieutenant Henry recognises that he is losing himself in the war and he uses his relationship with Catherine as an escape from the realities he cannot bring himself to face. However, even in light of his love for Catherine, Henry’s previously developed opinions about the cynical state of society are still present. Although only an ambulance driver, and therefore not battling at the Front, he is still negatively affected by the war. He recognises an overwhelming feeling of melancholy brought on by the war: “I do not see it myself but I feel it a little.” (Hemmingway, pg.70). He may not be involved in the battles, but he still cannot escape the mood of the war. It is a state of depression and personal defeat, and Henry is helpless to prevent it from overpowering him: “The war is killing me. I am very much depressed by it.” (Hemmingway, pg. 167). He also shows his lack of optimism: “I don’t believe in victory anymore.” (Hemmingway, pg.179). The war is affecting Henry in a devastating way, and as he realises this he also realises that he must escape before it overwhelms him: “When people realise how bad it is they cannot do anything to stop it because they go crazy. Some people never realise.” (Hemmingway, pg. 50). Lieutenant Henry has recognised the realities of the war to some extent and he fears that if he ever truly understands the complete devastation brought on by the war, he will lose himself. Thus, he feels he must escape before that happens. Henry finds his only opportunity for escape, and survival when faced with certain death by the military police. He escapes by the river: “Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation I was through.” (Hemmingway, pg. 232). Lieutenant Henry makes the decision to leave the war behind and be with Catherine once again. His love for Catherine is his escape, and he feels that being with her makes everything easier: “I was only thinking how small obstacles seemed that once were so big.” (Hemmingway, pg. 137). He feels that if their love can overcome the perils of war, then anything is possible. “We were never lonely and never afraid when we were together.”(Hemmingway, pg. 249). However, Henry still holds the opinion that having his relationship with Catherine withstand the war is a battle, and that society is the enemy. “There’s only us two and in the world there’s all the rest of them.” (Hemmingway, pg.139). After experiencing the war, Lieutenant Henry has developed a cynical view of society. He believes that the world around does not want his love with Catherine to survive. He also does not believe that the war-ridden world that he has experienced will ever allow anyone to truly survive. Anyone who shows promise in the world will not be allowed to flourish as the world will find some way to defeat them: “If people bring so much courage into this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially.” (Hemmingway, pg.249). Henry reiterates this idea later in the book, reinforced by the death of Catherine and the baby: “You did not know what it was all about. You never had time to learn. They threw you in and told you the rules and the first time they caught you off base they killed you.” (Hemmingway, pg.327). Although he has recaptured his love for Catherine, he still cannot escape how the war has affected him. Lieutenant Henry has lost his faith in humanity. He no longer believes in happiness or victory because he does not believe the world would ever let those things be achieved. Although Henry is able to escape the physical horrors of war, he is not able to escape the repercussions on his mentality. He leaves the war to be with Catherine, but he never truly escapes it. It has affected him on a level much deeper than death and bloodshed. The war has irreversibly affected his view of the world he lives in.

In Erich Remarque’s All Quiet On The Western Front, Timothy Findley’s The Wars, and Ernest Hemmingway’s A Farewell To Arms, the characters are all deeply affected by the war. It not only affects their perception of themselves, but also their opinion of the world around them. In All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer can do nothing but attempt to repress his true thoughts about the war in an attempt not to lose himself to the painful realities. He knows he has been changed profoundly by the war, but by hiding these self-revelations, he is able to continue his quest for survival. By contrast, in The Wars, Robert Ross eventually gives up hope of saving himself. Realising that he can do nothing to avoid the repercussions of the war on himself, he turns to one desperate act to prove his commitment to life while surrounded by death. It is in this act, that the true essence of Ross is revealed. In A Farewell To Arms, although Lieutenant Henry is able to remove himself from the perils of the war, he is never truly able to remove the war from his perception of the world. As a result of his experiences, he has developed a cynical view of society, one which overshadows his love for Catherine. In all three cases, the characters examine their sense of self as a result of their experiences in the war. However, it is not only something as drastic as a war that may cause one to re-examine his outlook on himself and his life. There are many events in life that will prompt one to question his sense of self. The result may be a personal revelation, or the opposite. In any case, it is through these events that a man is shaped and discovered. These changes are evident not only through the world that created the man, but also through the man who experiences the world.