All Quiet on the Western Front Study Guide

Study and Discussion Guide Chapters 1-6 Chapter 1 1. Where are the men “at rest”? Five miles behind the front 2. Why is there such an abundance of rations? Miscalculation – did not count on so much of a loss of life on the front. 3. Who is the narrator? How old is he? Paul Bäumer – 19 years old 4. Identify the following: Tjaden - skinny locksmith; biggest eater (19) Albert Kropp – clearest thinker; lance-corporal Muller G. Detering – smart; dreams of exams; carries textbooks with him Leer - full beard; likes girls from officers’ brothels Haie Westhus – peat-digger (19) Stanislaus Katczinsky – leader of the group; 40; shrewd, cunning Detering – a peasant; thinks of farmyard and wife 5. What is symbolic about Leer’s name? Leer means to have a lustful or sly look as Leer does. 6. Why do the men feel hostile toward Ginger? He resists in giving them the extra rations and continually makes them come back from the fighting to get their own food whereas other cooks bring it up to the men at the front. 7. What is unusual about the latrine facilities? They do not have a roof, and most of them choose to use the latrines that can be moved so that they can sit in a circle and play cards and gossip while they relieve themselves. 8. What has changed about these men? They are no longer shy about simple things like using the latrine in front of others. 9. What is a “latrine rumour”? They were like gossip shops. 10. Who is Kantorek? The boys’ schoolmaster who convinced them to go to war because it was the honorable and courageous thing to do. 11. Why does Muller wish Kantorek were there? So that he could show him how it really was on the front. 12. What different attitudes about war were held by the “poor and simple” and those who were “better off”? The “poor and simple” knew the reality of suffering and so were not deceived by the talk of courage and heroism like the “better off”. 13. What is the double horror of Behm’s death? Because he was shot in the eye, left for dead, and then stumbled back to the troops, only to be shot again because he could not see the enemy as he was shot in the eye. 14. What is Muller’s plan for Kemmerich’s boots? Do you think this is cruel? Muller plans to keep Kemmerich’s boots for himself. This could be considered cruel because Muller is more concentrated on the boots, but the reality of it is that they see so much death out there, and for Muller to survive, he must look out for his own needs well beyond Kemmerich’s death. In this case, he must consider how to replace his worn boots with Kemmerich’s before his are so worn out that he can’t function on the front. 15. What does the theft of Kemmerich’s watch tell us about the moral decay fostered by war? That even as a man is dying, others are only thinking about their profit – they are turned into animals, only worried about survival. 16. What is the mood/atmosphere of Chapter 1? There is some humor, but mostly we are being introduced to the ironies and finite corruptness of death and survival in a war. 17. Although the novel is told from the German point-of-view, what universal view does it offer of war? That death corrupts and takes the humanity slowly from all men no matter their background (you may have other views/reads on this as well). 18. Why is Kantorek wrong in referring to these young men as “Iron Youth”? Because they are not youth anymore, since they have aged so much by the cruelties of the war, and they are not iron, they only distract themselves by not thinking about the cruelties. 19. Why is Paul bitter in his feelings toward Kantorek? Because they feel mocked and tricked by his claims of valour about their participation in the war. Chapter 2 1. Why does Paul refer to his generation as a “waste land”? Because they have left the connections of their families without making new families or aspirations. The time of their life that is supposed to be formed through experiences of love, family, and success has only been tainted by war. 2. Who is Corporal Himmelstoss? He is the leader of No.9 platoon in which all of the boys/men previously described are stationed. In civilian life, he was a postman, and he often gives Tjaden and Paul a hard time/extra ridiculous commands to complete. 3. What prejudice does Paul have against small men? Why? Paul does not like small men because he believes that they try to make up for their lack in size with the power that they are given. They wield the power in a very unhealthy way, taking out their lifetime of feeling small on those who aren’t weak and small as they are. 4. How do Paul and Kropp get revenge on Himmelstoss? They wait until the end of their training, and then they wait to “attack” him as he leaves a bar one night. Because he is drunk and distracted by his own singing, Himmelstoss does not see they boys as they come up behind him, put a sheet over his head, hit him, pull his drawers down and whip him on the buttocks. 5. According to Paul, what is the finest thing to arise from the war? COMRADESHIP 6. What makes Kemmerich’s death so personal for Paul? They grew up together. 7. What is significant about Kemmerich’s telling Paul to take the boots for Muller? It shows that Kemmerich understands that he is going to die, and that Muller meant no harm in asking for the boots, it is merely a necessity for survival on the front. 8. What is the great hunger Paul feels after Kemmerich’s death? (up for interpretation) For that which could have been possible had the war not occurred, things such as, “girls … flowery meadows … white clouds...” (p.33) 9. Describe the character of Paul from what you have learned in the first two chapters. He is caring, a loyal friend, marred by what he has found the world to be, brave, survivor, fun…(find passages in the first two chapters that support this). 10. Kemmerich’s death illustrates part of the central message of the novel. Do you have an idea of what this message is? War destroys innocence, steals life, and concerns itself with nothing, not even the individual. War steals from the innocent and gives to the whole. ETC. Chapter 3 1. Why is it ironic that Paul and his comrades refer to themselves as “stone-age veterans” when they compare themselves to the new recruits? They are only about a year older and only a few months more on the front than the new recruits. 2. Describe Katczinsky. What is his special talent? He is very street smart. In civilian life he is a cobbler, but understands most trades. Special Talent = He can find food anywhere. 3. What is Kat’s philosophy of war? That the hierarchical organization (and pay) of the army drags the war on unnecessarily (see the rhyme on pg. 41). What is Kropp’s philosophy of war? That if you could just set the two leaders to fighting and then declare the winner’s country the winner of the war, war would be more just because the “right” people would do the fighting. What is the author’s intention in expounding these? (open for interpretation) – To point out that innocent men fight the war of nations and that spending so much time fighting for a cause causes men to think deeply about why they are fighting. 4. What is Kropp’s philosophy concerning power given to insignificant men? That since they are insignificant, when they get power, they abuse it. 5. Who is coming to the front? Himmelstoss Why do these men strongly anticipate his arrival? Because of the way that he mistreated them in the barracks – especially the bed-wetter - Tjaden. Chapter 4 1. Why are Paul and his comrades sent to the front? As backup 2. How do the men change as they approach the front? They get more and more fidgety (especially the new recruits), more serious. Why is this change necessary? They need to get more serious, more aware of the danger of the front, more concentrated. 3. What happens to the horses which are used in this battle? They are severely wounded and scream in pain, so much so that Detering (a farmer) seems to almost jump up to go put them out of their misery even though the opposing side would probably take him down if he did. 4. How does Detering react to the wounding of the horses? He just wants to put them out of their misery and almost does shoot, but Kat yells at him to stop since that will only attract the attention of the enemy. 5. How do Paul and his comrades manage to save themselves from the shelling? They dive into a hole that has been created by being shelled, but they end up next to corpses because they are in a graveyard. From the gas attack? By helping each other to put on their gas masks (especially the recruits). 6. According to Remarque, how does a soldier feel about the earth? It is his only stability. It is his mother, brother, and friend, his protection. 7. What happens to the young soldier that Paul helped at the beginning of the chapter? He gets injured when a coffin lands on top of him after it is blown up by shelling. What do Paul and Kat wish to do for him? To put him out of his misery – shoot him, just as Detering wanted to do to the horses (again emphasizes the loss of their humanity and animal instincts). Why don’t they do it? Others begin to gather around as they appear from the trenches. Chapter 5 1. Why, can’t the men get rid of their lice? Because they have hundreds on each of their heads. 2. Why has Himmelstoss been sent to the front? Because he overdid his “lessons” of a few young recruits, and the son of the local magistrate saw and reported him. 3. How do the men treat Himmeistoss? They don’t show him any respect. In fact, they are very disrespectful. 4. How does Tjaden get in trouble with Himmelstoss? He treats him as any other soldier, not a superior. He calls him a dirty hound. Why isn’t he prosecuted? Because Paul tells the story of the bed-wetting torture. 5. What dreams do the various members of the group have about going home? Kat, Detering, and Haie will go back to their jobs, but the other boys can only dream of what would have been and maybe though it will be marred – Paul talks about all of them having a private business and then living in the woods together, and he decides that he wants to do something worth them having had to go through what they are on the front now; Kropp doesn’t want to do anything because he knows he will die one day anyway. What do their dreams tell you about their characters? That they had once been able to dream (and mock their professor), but now they can’t even bear to imagine a real future separate from the war. 6. What feelings does Paul express while he and Kat are roasting the goose? That he is the closest to this man out of anyone on the earth at this point. Out of what do these feelings grow? Loneliness and the bond of experience here on the front. Chapter 6 1. Why do the men joke about death? They see coffins newly made and lined up against a schoolhouse that are clearly made for any of them that get killed in battle – they must joke or they could go crazy with fear and anticipation. 2. Why, according to Paul, must every man believe in Chance and trust his luck? Because there is not much else here that they can trust. “No soldier 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. outlives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck. Describe the men’s battle with the rats. They lure the fat rats out with gnawed pieces of bread and then fry them with their pocket torches. Then they throw the dead rats over the wall and wait to strike again. How do the men know they are really cut off from all help when they are being attacked? Because the barrage is so heavy that they know that if anyone tried to get through the line, that they would get killed. What often happens to the young recruits during an attack? They freeze and cannot fight. They simply cower in a corner. Why are so many of them killed? They get claustrophobic in the trenches and run out to not go crazy and end up getting shot. Also, they are listening so intently for the big bombing sounds that they miss the slight whistle of a shot coming straight for them. They have not developed the instinct that their “seasoned” companions have. To what level are the men reduced during an attack? They become “wild beasts”. What is the most important thing to them? Defending themselves against annihilation. They are greedy for life. Describe the night the men spend listening to the wounded man cry out for help. Because there are so many dying men to bring in, sometimes it takes a while for them to get to all of the men. One man groans, and they cannot find him because he is probably “lying on his belly and unable to turn over.” With his mouth to the ground, it is nearly impossible to detect where his cry is coming from. Some of the men go out three times in the night to look for him, but every time they think they are close, the cry seems to be coming from a different direction. They are promised three days of leave on the second day if they find him, but they cannot. He cries for help and then slips into delirium, trying to have conversations with his wife and children. Finally he dies on the morning of the third day (seems like a reverse of the resurrection of Jesus). How does Himmelstoss react in battle? He panics. He gets a small scratch and pretends to be more seriously wounded so that he might not have to leave the trench, but Paul comes to get him. He seems to be going crazy like a dog with rabies, crouching in the corner and nearly foaming at the mouth. Paul gets mad that the young recruits should be out there while Himmelstoss is cowering in a corner even as a Corporal. Paul makes him go out to the fighting. He is only “awakened” by the commands of a superior lieutenant to come with the rest to the front. Describe the scene in the field after the battle is over. What do the men see? They see Haie Westhus with his lung nearly bulging out of his back and others with their skulls blown open. Still, others run around on stumps because both legs have been blown off but the shock keeps them running on the stumps.They see a lance-corporal dragging his shattered knee behind him and men without jaws or mouths or faces. Another man has his arm’s artery in his teeth to clamp it off so that he won’t bleed to death. 10. How many men did the company lose? They are down to thiry-two men.