War The Cause Of A Lost Generation

War: The Cause Of A Lost Generation Essay, Research Paper

War: The Cause of the Lost Generation

Upon examination of All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque

shows the cause of the lost generation through characters who demonstrate the loss of

innocence, the lack of hope, and difficulty with society. The consequences of war are

severe, and World War I resulted in the death of many innocent people, and the death of a

generation. The survivors were left permanently damaged because of the shell shock that

forever haunted them.

In the beginning of the novel, Paul Baulmer, the main character and narrator, is an

innocent and modest young school boy. He is then transformed by war experiences into

an .iron youth,. like the rest of the boys (Remarque 18). They go through many stages,

and every day lose more and more of their inner child. The death of a close friend,

Kemmerich, symbolizes the death of the whole group. He is the first to die, and this is the

first significant loss of innocence found in the book. Death is among these boys, and it

takes Kemerich.s death for them to realize this. Paul becomes a victim of war: .I become

faint, all at once I cannot do anymore. I won.t revile anymore, it is senseless, I could drop

down and never rise up again…He is dead. His face is still wet from the tears.. (Remarque

32). They too could be pale and dying, and this tragic scene took away the invincibility of

youth that they once felt. Kemmerich cries because his potential and his future are lost,

and his close friend Paul feels his pain. Paul states, .This is the most disturbing and

hardest parting I have ever seen…. (Remarque 31). The witnesses of Kemmerich.s last

minutes was worth a lifetime of experience. These boys were exposed to things no man

should ever have to see in a lifetime. Not only did they lose their childhood, but it was

torn from them heartlessly. Remarque captures the exact moment this transformation

took place:

I am aware of the darkness and the wind as a deliverance…thoughts of girls, of

flowery meadows, of white clouds suddenly come into my head. My feet begin to move

forward in my boots, I go quicker, I run. Soldiers pass by me, I hear their voices without

understanding. The earth is streaming with forces which pour into me through the soles of

my feet. The night crackles electrically, the front thunders like a concert of drums.

(Remarque 33).

The wind so much as carries away Paul.s innocence. Life manifested as wind takes away

his happy child-like thoughts, and problem free outlook. Instead of slowly growing and

maturing, he is thrust into a world of terror he is not ready for. As he runs, the most

critical time in his life is put in fast motion, and he skips right over it without

understanding, remembering, or knowing what happened. It is as though Paul.s childhood

is supernaturally taken away, and this day is marked by God. It is when the youth of our

world lost their souls. Paul knows exactly what happened. There is nothing him, nor

anyone else can do. .We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young. Young.

That is long ago. We are old folk.. (Remarque 18). Paul and his friends are aware of

their experiences, and the effect it has on their young lives. Their childhood is put in an

unreachable place. At nineteen Paul knows more about life than many of his elders. Like

an elder his childhood is far away and forever forgotten. Paul tells us that his childhood is

not retrievable: .…and even if the scenes of youth were given back to us, we would

hardly know what to do..I believe we are lost.. Remarque 122-23). These boys are not

children, and not adults. They are in an awkward and difficult place that will destroy them

forever. Paul cannot remember how to act like a child, and the memories can only be

seen, but never touched. They become less and less modest every day. When the boys

first entered the barracks, they were embarrassed to use the bathroom out in the open.

They then got accustomed to this, and easy things like that became silly. Paul says, .Since

then we have learned better than to be shy about such trifling immodesty.s. In time things

far worse come easy to us.. (Remarque 8). He says he doesn.t understand why he shied

away from these things. This is an example of lost innocence, and not remembering what

it feels like to be innocent. When new recruits came to the barracks, Paul and his friends

would laugh, and feel superior to these sorry newcomers. They soon saw so many deaths

that even death became just apart of everyday life. When Paul went on leave, he had to

tell Kemmerich.s mom that her son had died. His mom asked if Kemmerich was in pain,

and Paul replied .No. without any hesitation. Paul said that he died right away. This was

a lie, because Kemmerich was in great pain for several days before he died. Paul then

thought .When a man has seen so many dead he cannot understand

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