Essay Database

"All Quiet on the Western Front" was written in a first person style. The story was told by Paul Baümer, a nineteen year old student, convinced to enlist with the German army by his schoolmaster, Kantorek. Along with many of his friends from school, he is trained under Corporal Himmelstoss, a strictly disciplined commander who dislikes Paul because of his "defiance." When sent to the front, Paul, along with his other friends, made new …

…the nurse told him that Kat was dead. When Paul checked again a small shell fragment had just penetrated that back of Kat's head. He was still even warm. Kat was the last of Paul's friends to die in the war. Then, in October of 1918, Paul finally fell. The book describes his death as, "...his face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come." The war ended the next month.