Erich Maria Remarque\'s exclusively Quiet on the westerly Front, a novel set in World War I, centers round the changes wrought by the war on one newborn German soldier. During his time in the war, Remarque\'s protagonist, Paul Baumer, changes from a alternatively innocent Romantic to a hardened and somewhat acerb veteran. More importantly, during the course of this metamorphosis, Baumer disaffiliates himself from those societal icons-pargonnts, elders, school, religion-that had been the foundation of his pre-enlistment days. This rejection comes about as a result of Baumer\'s realization that the pre-enlistment society simply does not understand the reality of the Great War. His new society, then, becomes the Company, his fellow oceanic abyss soldiers, because that is a group which does understand the truth as Baumer has see it. Remarque demonstrates Baumer\'s disaffiliation from the traditional by emphasizing the language of Baumer\'s pre- and post-enlistment societies. Baumer either fecal matter not, or chooses not to, enunciate truthfully with those representatives of his pre-enlistment and innocent days. Further, he is repulsed by the banal and meaningless language that is used by members of that society.
As he becomes alienated from his former, traditional, society, Baumer simultaneously is able to communicate effectively only with his military comrades. Since the novel is told from the first psyche point of view, the reader can see how the words Baumer speaks are at variance with his true feelings. In his preface to the novel, Remarque maintains that \"a generation of men ... were destroyed by the war\" (Remarque, All Quiet Preface). Indeed, in All Quiet on the Western Front, the meaning of language itself is, to a great extent, destroyed. Early in the novel, Baumer notes how his elders had been facile with words prior to his enlistment. Specifically,... If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com
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Monday, November 19, 2012
All Quiet on the Western Front
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