Five talking points for "All Quiet on the Western Front"

1. When Paul kills the man in the trench it shows the most intimate brutality of war.

2. In the beginning of the film, the boys start dancing and parading out into the streets. This is an exaggeration, but it shows the bandwagon effect and the innocence of youth.

3. Card games are prevalent throughout the story. This seems to show a background against which the numbing spirits of the men can be seen. For example after Kat's death the doctor sits right back down to deal the hand while Paul is stricken with grief. Had it been any other soldier, Paul would likely carry on like the doctor.

4. The shelling seems to frighten the men the most right away, but as their time on the front lines extends, their fears are turned into a bond between them, using humor and sarcasm to forget about the chaos around them.

5. Paul probably wishes that someone would have given his speech while on leave to the class of young men when he was in their position. Would that have affected the outcome of Paul's class?

Charpter Two Review

 Summary

In this chapter, the reader is presented with situations that beg for explanation. The cruel training of Himmielstoss that Paul remembers along with the patriotism that was instilled upon the men as they trained. There is a world of chaos around them at all times and they are stuck to make sense of it all for themselves. When Paul visits Kemmerich before his death, the novel shows Paul completely dumbfounded by the meaningless loss of his friend. The situation with the boots is a symbolic theme throughout the novel. In this chapter, the boots represent the hard truth to death or the inevitable. This also shows the humane nature of man even at his worst.