Themes

One theme is that war destroys lives. It’s not only the people killed who are ruined; it’s also the survivors. The dead are able to escape the war and be at peace while the survivors must live with the dreadful memories for the rest of their lives. Sometimes they would be stuck in their dugout for days, while their trenches were bombed repeatedly. This was too much to handle for the new recruits, who had minimal training, and so they would go insane quickly. For Paul, compressing his emotions keeps him from going insane and to cope with the brutality of war.

A second theme in this novel is identity. In the beginning Paul is a student who loves classic literature and writing poetry, but as time goes on in the war, he becomes just another soldier. The things that used to matter to him don’t anymore. When Paul goes home for a visit he tries to bond feel at home, but he feels strange in his own house. The terror of war has numbed him He goes into his room only to discover he doesn’t care about any of his old belongings which used to mean so much to him. He finds himself wishing he was back at the front with his friends because that feels like home to him now. Numbing his emotions keeps Paul from losing his mind, but in return he loses his identity; everything that makes him who he is loses meaning.

A third theme is propaganda. Paul and his high school classmates used to look up to and respect their teacher, Kantorek. However, as soon as the class of young men graduates, Kantorek pressures the students into enlisting in the war. He persuades them into believing that it is their duty as young men to risk their lives for their country. And makes them feel like they have no choice and that if they refuse they will be cowards.