All Quiet on the Western Front and Theme of Death of the Other
Erich Maria Remarque lets us know exactly what theme he intends for All Quiet on the Western Front in the short note that comes just before Chapter 1. He attests that the novel tries to simply tell the story of a generation of young men whom World War I destroyed- even if they survived the shelling. The text of the book supposedly neither accuses, confesses, nor least of all makes an adventure out of death, "for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it." While this may be Remarque's main theme on the surface of the text, Remarque weaves an underlining and parallel yet contradictory theme to it throughout the novel. The subtextual theme of All Quiet on the Western Front accuses human nature's survival instinct for its crudeness. It confesses to allowing its characters to be affected pleasurably to the death of others. And it makes an adventure for those trying to evade death. In so doing, the subtext supports Freud's thoughts on how the death-!of-the-other strains us with the ambiguity of mournfulness and pleasure. Paul Baumer experiences this ambiguity when faced with the death-of-a-stranger and with the death-of-a-loved-one, namely Gerard Duval and Franz Kemmerich, respect
" Paul's feet seemed to push him forward as he found himself feeling a strength ris!ing up from the earth into his body. Dying after a leg amputation, Kemmerich refuses to hand down his fine English leather boots to one of his fellow soldiers, Muller, the reason being that the boots are his most prized possessions. The reality of death became too much for him to handle and thus he just refused to experience it. He hints that Kemmerich was smarter than him when he says that he copied Kemmerich's essays. " Baumer becomes consumed by this guilt only until the night has passed and at about three in the next afternoon. But after calming down, Baumer realizes what he has just done-he has killed a man, not some abstract enemy. It would have meant that he himself believed in his own mortality, and thus contradicting what Freud calls our natural human instincts to disbelieve our deaths. Baumer says that he would have shot Duval to end his suffering groans had he not lost his revolver. Even though Baumer understood Muller's practicality in this situation, Baumer vehemently tries to excuse Muller's crudeness. " Deep down, Freud asserts that no one believes in his own death and unconsciously, everyone is convinced of his own immortality. Initially he experiences the drive for self-preservation when he wildly and unconsciously stabs the enemy then hits him again and again. His fear of dying after stabbing Duval becomes more evident when he tests the area by lifting his helmet only to have it shot down to pieces. As the individual faces these impediments to happiness, he keeps a record of these obstacles and aides and rewards and punishments.
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Acceptance Essays
