All Quiet on the Western Front (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Erich Maria Remarque
- First Published: 1928
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Historical realism
- Time of Work: World War I
- Setting: France and Germany
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, War fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, France or French people, War, Death or dying, World War I, Corruption, Idealism, Military life or service, Soldiers, Germany or German people
- Locales: France, Germany
Characters Discussed
Paul Bäumer (powl BOY- mehr), a nineteen-year-old soldier in the German army during World War I. Because he has been drafted so young, he wonders what he will be able to do to earn a living if he ever becomes a civilian again. In a battle, he stabs a French soldier and then, filled with remorse, tries to relieve the dying man’s pain. When his conscience hurts him afterward, his comrades tell him that he has committed no crime. As the war drags on and more of his comrades fall, Paul becomes lonely and philosophical, but the meaning of the war still eludes...
[The entire page is 651 words long]
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