Ali Al Dabbagh
Mr. Cohen and Miss. DiPaolo
ENG3U
May 15th, 2023
How is Paul Bäumer represented within this moment of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'? How has Remarque represented Paul Bäumer in this way?
The way Bäumer is represented in "All Quiet on the Western Front" is shown to be remorseful and has a feeling of guilt after stabbing the French soldier. Remarque represents him this way through the emotions, phrases, and thoughts Paul Bäumer expresses. Paul Bäumer tries to provide aid to the soldier when "he gulps it down. I fetch some more. Then I unbutton his tunic in order to bandage him if it is possible." (104, Remarque). This represents that Bäumer was to blame for the soldier's death because he went out of his way to try and undo the damage he had just done by stabbing him. He felt so guilty that he just stabbed someone "whom I can see close at hand" (105, Remarque), that he tried to save his life afterward by giving him water and providing aid. A keyword Remarque used that represents Bäumer's remorse is "powerless" (104, Remarque). Bäumer, claiming he feels "powerless" (104, Remarque), expresses that he was helpless and paralyzed in the moment of watching the soldier slowly suffer and die. A rhetorical question was asked to the dying French soldier by Bäumer, stating, "How could you be my enemy?" (106, Remarque), which correlates to the guilt Bäumer felt after stabbing him and watching him die. As Paul Bäumer states, "If we threw away these rifles and this uniform, you could be my brother just like Kat and Albert" (106, Remarque), which explains why he would feel guilty for taking another man's life. Since it’s all essentially just a game they were put into, rather than them truly having hatred for each other. The narrative style Remarque uses to write this novel is a first-person stream of consciousness. Remarque uses this technique to properly express what Paul Bäumer was thinking and feeling in these moments. If the narrative style of the story were to be different, Remarque wouldn't be able to properly depict Bäumer’s remorse. An omniscient narrative wouldn't get detailed into what Bäumer was thinking in his head during this whole situation. An example of this is when Bäumer says in his thoughts, "No doubt his wife still thinks of him; she does not know what has happened." (105, Remarque). If this was written in an omniscient narrative style, then it would not have been able to express his thoughts of guilt in his consciousness. Another way I feel Bäumer is represented by Remarque as being accountable and in regret is because he attempts to write a letter to the soldier's wife; through the words of the man whom he had just killed. As Paul Bäumer states: "I will write to her; she must hear it from me; I will tell her everything I have told you; she shall not suffer; I will help her, and your parents too, and your child–"(106, Remarque). This represents that Bäumer regretted taking a man away from the family who cared about him. And went out of his way to try and get the soldier's last words across to his family. I think this novel is written to share the emotions that many soldiers who are forcefully drafted into the war feel. This book by Remarque is meant to relate to the time he spent in the German army at age 18, and depict his views of being "anti-war", because of his previous experience.
Work Cited
Farrell, Jenny. “Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel 'All Quiet on the Western Front.'” People's World, 21 September 2020, https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/erich-maria-remarques-anti-war-novel-all-quiet-on-the-western-front/. Accessed 15 May 2023.
Remarque, Erich Maria, 1898-1970. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York :Fawcett Crest, 1975.
Comments