All Quiet on the Western Front-Chapter 9: Paul's partnership with his comrades

Paul Baumer seems to be very comforted by Katczinsky, Tjaden, and Albert. This is obvious for two reasons. First off, of course he's comforted by them because if he didn't have them fighting alongside him, he would feel lonely and insecure on the front. Secondly, Tjaden and Albert have endured high school with Paul, so they've known him long enough to understand how he feels about things. The comfort level between Paul, Kat, Tjaden, and Albert is also evident in chapter nine, page 212. Paul tells the reader that he his friends are "more than motherliness and more than fear; they are the strongest, most comforting thing there is anywhere...".Paul also says that he and his friends are "nearer than lovers in a simpler, harder way". This gave me a whole new way of viewing Paul, Kat, Tjaden, and Albert's friendship. Nearer than lovers...Paul couldn't have been more serious and detailed on page 212 of the book when describing his partnership with his favorite comrades.

Chapter 8 of All Quiet on the Western Front

This image of World War 1 training camps relates to chapter 8 because that's where Paul was at the start of the chapter. He still had his leaf of absence in effect as he went to the moors. This would be where he would train and spend the final days of his leave. In the image, you can see that the soldiers are practicing putting on gas masks. Now I don't think they say that Paul practiced putting on gas masks, but this image still gives insight about training in WWI. During training, Paul is attracted by the beauty of nature on the moors. For example, on pages 188 and 189, Paul describes the setting. He talks about the flowers, trees, and woods. Also occurring in Chapter 8 was the arrival and stay of the Russian prisoners. Paul feels bad for the prisoners. He feels that those prisoners have so much more ahead of them in their lives. Near the end of chapter 8, Paul shows an act of generosity by splitting all of his cigarettes in half and giving them to the prisoners. This chapter seems to focus on Paul's thoughts more than his actions.  

Paul Baumer on leave: All Quiet on the Western Front chapter 7

Chapter 7 showed Paul's low comfort level at home and (before that) Paul's idea of living life while the idea of "life is short" is in one's mind. Paul and his friends, when there was rest, "make themselves comfortable and sleep, and eat as much as they can stuff into their bellies and drink and smoke so that hours are not wasted". They appear to not want to waste their hours doing absolutely nothing. After all, they are young soldiers in war, where one's death seems to be predictable or unpredictable. Also in chapter 7, Paul gets a pass for leave of 17 days. On the way to his home, Paul describes the beautiful landscape outside the window of the train. When he arrives at his destination, a red cross sister with a smile that is too foolish greets him. According to Paul she is "so obsessed with her own importance". When he opens the door to his home, he is greeted by his sister. He then greets his mother, who might have cancer according to Paul's sister. Paul appears to be familiar with his surroundings, but whether it's the fact that he's been away from home for so long or some other strange reason (I'm not sure), he does not appear to be comfortable with his surroundings. I found this very interesting and I thought I'd express this thought. Anyhow, chapter 7 of All Quiet on the Western Front may be 50 pages long, but it's still an interesting chapter.

All Quiet On The Western Front: Chapters 6 and 7 thoughts

Chapters 6 and 7 of the book are very long chapters, but also very insightful. Chapter 6 gives very detailed (yet sometimes gruesome) information about the battles Paul and his pals fought in. They appear to simply shrug off the death of a soldier on their side. At first, I found this unbelievable. I mean, what if that soldier was your friend? Now i understand. Paul and his friends have become accustomed to the deaths of soldiers on their side, whether they knew each other or not. This is not just because they have witnessed so many deaths on their side, but because they have had to kill so many Allied Power soldiers. It's tough, but that's what war is: killing people just to prove a country's superiority. An Allied power soldier could even be friends with a Central power soldier. This brings me to my next point. In chapter 7, Paul and his friends go swimming in the canal between German and French territory that is separated by sentries. They meet some French girls and fall in love. Paul fell in love with a brunette girl, describing her "bewildering eyes" and her gleaming white teeth. The brunette and Paul eventually start to drift off into a relationship that seems unlikely. Like i said, a German soldier in WWI could be best friends with a French soldier in WWI. The case might be different here in Chapter 7 as Paul falls in love with a French girl, but that doesn't change the impact of the point I have proven. As you can see, Paul's experiences, along with his friends' experiences, contribute to the point I've made, and they also are part of the very insightful chapters 6 and 7 of the book.

All Quiet on the Western Front chap. 1 and 2

The insight and emotions expressed in these chapters set the stage for the rest of the book. The death of Kemmerich and the narrating done by Paul Baumer creates a mood I cannot describe or tell what the mood is. Do any of my classmates know what the mood might be?