"All Quiet" Reexplained (All Quiet on the Western Front Chapters 10-12)


So, before starting the book, we talked about what the title meant.  At that point, we had little context and, were merely speculating.  It was fairly evident what the phrase "western front" referred to, and that still holds true.  However, the meaning of all quiet was less clear.  We had a couple of theories about what it could mean, with the most likely theory being that "all quiet" refers to death.  Let's take a look at the final three chapters and see how that theory holds up.

"Parting from my friend Albert Kropp was very hard.  But a man gets used to that sort of thing in the army."
One thing that was mentioned over and over again throughout these chapters was that Paul was determined to stick with Kropp, no matter what that meant he had to do.  Paul even, at one point, considered shooting himself in the foot so that he could stay with Kropp.  But, in the end, Paul must leave his dear friend, and he just has to accept it.  What can he do?  Sure, this excerpt isn't referencing Kropp's death, but it still has that feeling of loneliness and, in a way, plays into our theory.
"It is autumn.  There are not many of the old hands left.  I am the last of the seven fellows from our class."
Since Paul was forced to leave Kropp, he has lost more of his closest friends.  All of the seven boys that he grew up with have either left or have died.  Paul is the last one left.  Yes, there are still other men fighting on the battlefield - the battlefield is not quiet - but Paul is alone.  Sometimes, even in the loudest of places, loneliness can cause a deafening silence.
"I am very quiet.  Let the months and years come, they can take nothing from me, they can take nothing more.  I am so alone, and so without hope that I can confront them without fear.  The life that has borne me through these years is still in my hands and my eyes.  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."
 Although not all is quiet, Paul calls himself quiet in this excerpt.  It is clear that Paul feels so much weight there.  It is hard to believe that anything else could possibly be taken from him - what else does he have to be taken?  He has lost everyone, whether to death or simply through separation, who means something to him - his family, his friends, everyone.
"He fell in October 1918, on a day that was so quiet and still on the whole front, that the army report confined itself to the single sentence: All quiet on the Western Front."
The theory held strong.  This book is all about loss.  What a sad ending.



Thank you for coming on this journey with me through Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.  I have truly loved reading this book and I have truly enjoyed posting about it.  This book is so well written and I think it is a really good thing to read such high quality writing from an alternative perspective, that of a German soldier.  It is so important to have a broad view of history and to be able to look at situations from different angles, and All Quiet on the Western Front helped tremendously to give me that alternative perspective of World War I.  I hope that you have enjoyed this book as much as I have and that you have enjoyed my posts.  Thanks again for coming along for the ride!

Sources

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 21, 2018 at 6:13 AM

    Overall, very well formatted and informative blog. The way you formatted your blog is one of the best formats I have seen so far. The way you entered quotes, sources, and pictures, makes your blog look professional and flow nicely. I also liked the way you made quotes stand out, and you put a lot of emphasis on them by including them in your blog. Overall, very good format and use of quotes and pictures.

    I also liked the way you connected with the book personally and actually included yourself within the blog. The way you connected each post together also added to your blog. I also liked how you introduced your blog and separating each topic. This let your blog have better organization, and overall allow the blog to flow better. Overall, really good blog, keep up the good work.

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  2. AnonymousMarch 21, 2018 at 5:18 PM

    Good Reflection Ana Kathleen,
    I like how you did the overview of how we have already discussed our thoughts on the book prior to reading. Seeing where we have come from is amazing, and seeing our new knowledge shows how we comprehend the events in this book.

    I agree with you, Kropp and Paul were best of friends. No, they were more than that. They were brothers. It was really evident when Paul contemplated shooting his foot just to stay by his friends side.

    Also, I feel like the hardest part of the war for Paul was the ending (the last three chapters). He was going through an emotional rollercoaster, losing friends left and right, and watching his mother struggle whenever he returned home. During this time, Paul needed his family and friends the most.

    Overall, I would say that this is a very good reflection, you did a good job analyzing the changes and hardships in this book.

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  3. AnonymousMarch 21, 2018 at 5:39 PM

    In the beginning I relate to having little to go off of except the title. The speculation that the quiet undertones relating to death is easily understood.
    Your understanding of the evolution of the character Paul throughout the story proves strong. Showing that his character was loyal to his friend on the front is very clear with his determined demeanor to shoot his own foot.
    I like your juxtaposition of “...Paul is alone. Sometimes, even in the loudest of places…” It shows that the dangers of war can really rattle and shake your core. It has a great understanding that Paul is really a typical man fighting in an unknown place, attributes along with this include hearing what isn’t there, and feeling like you’re the only person in the world.
    I feel that your conclusion sentence could’ve been more backed with the briefings of your points throughout your blog post. Anna you had a great understanding of the story and the emotional development of the characters. The post was “Bodacious” with details and excerpts from the story. This conclusion was weak, and to summarize with “What a sad ending.” is apathetic and ill-comprehensive as to what the rest of the blog post had to offer.
    Over all though, great post. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

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  4. AnonymousMarch 22, 2018 at 6:53 AM

    Glad that you have enjoyed the book!

    ReplyDelete

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