Student Question
Who is the narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front?
Quick answer:
The narrator of All Quiet on the Western Front is Paul Baumer, a German infantryman who recounts his experiences during World War I. He volunteers for service after high school and becomes a seasoned veteran by the war's end. The character is fictional but based on author Erich Maria Remarque's own wartime experiences. Baumer's narrative captures the stark realities of war, culminating in his death just before the war concludes.
The narrator of the Erich Maria Remarque World War I novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, is German infantryman Paul Baumer, who tells his tales of battlefield horror mixed with peaceful respites during the final two years of the war. Baumer volunteers for action following his high school graduation, but by the end of the story he is one of the veteran "old folks" of his outfit. Although a fictional novel, the author has based his main character--who dies shortly before the end of fighting--on his own experiences during the War to End All Wars.
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