The remains of Paul Baumer"s company had moved behind the German front lines for a short rest at the beginning of the novel. After Behm became Paul"s first dead schoolmate, Paul viewed the older generation bitterly, particularly Kantorek, the teacher who convinced Paul and his classmates to join the military, feeling alone and betrayed in the world that they had left for him. Paul"s generation felt empty and isolated from the rest of the world due to the fact that they had never truly established any part of themselves in civilian life. At boot camp, Himmelstoss abused Paul and his...
way. Their physical actions and mental ideals coincided very closely. The emotional state of characters developed very genuinely throughout their endeavors; this realism forced me to look at the purpose of war more closely and examine its results on the militia. Foremost, I have gained a multitude of new perceptions, some of which make a great deal of sense, from the vividly portrayed physical results of war and the depth in which the dynamic emotions of the soldiers, particularly Paul, were presented. This book has simply given me new views of war. It was an incredible work to read.