The True Nature of War

The True Nature of War

  • Submitted By: Christos01
  • Date Submitted: 05/26/2011 1:16 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 916
  • Page: 4
  • Views: 428

How does the author of a prescribed text use the interactions between the central character and two other characters to explore their ideas?

All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, is a famous author that instead of emphasising war as honourable and heroic, he explores the true nature of war; brutal, violent and horrifying through first person narrative and the setting. His novel can be seen the same for all combatants. By using dialogue, personal conflict, repetition and imagery, Remarque uses the interactions between the characters of Paul, who is the main protagonist, and Kat to establish their ideas of comradeship and man’s inhumanity to man. Also, Remarque uses the interactions between the characters of Paul and Kropp by using techniques such as simile, metaphor and imagery to explore their ideas of the lost generation.

Through the interactions of the characters of Paul and Kat, Remarque explores the idea of comradeship in his novel All Quiet on the Western Front when they roast a goose and also the death of Kat. For example, when Paul roasts a goose with Kat, Paul believes that they have a ‘greater and more gentle consideration’ for each ‘other than… lovers do.’ This dialogue conveys that war has brought them closer than they could ever be in civilian life and therefore have ‘awakened [to a] sense of comradeship. Additionally, dialogue is used during the time when Kat dies. The orderly asks Paul, ‘do you want to take his pay book and his things?’ The use of dialogue illustrates the camaraderie between Paul and Kat, as Paul cares for Kat by accepting his personal belongings. Kat’s death is so distressing and sudden that the reader does not recognise Paul’s reaction because he controls his feelings. Ultimately, the author uses these techniques through the interactions between the central character and before Kat dies to explore the strong mateship and camaraderie of the soldiers during the war.


Remarque shows the idea of...

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