All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front Written by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front is a sort of a historical fiction type of book. I would classify it as a fiction because the book is based on an odd point of view in war. All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel about a young teenager named Paul Baumer and his friends who enlist in the war. He and his friends in World War I. Paul and many of his friends from school volunteered to join the army after listening to their teacher, Kantorek talk about how honorable it is to fight for your country. When the boys started training, they realized that war was a lot more harsh than they had anticipated. After experiencing about two months of rough training from their cruel trainer, Corporal Himmelstoss, they realized that the talk and rumors about war were completely opposite than the reality of it. They lost their belief that war is glorious or honorable, and they live in constant fear; physical and emotional. Much like actual soldiers, Paul had a difficult time recapturing what his life used to be when on leave back in his hometown. Paul goes through more trauma than any young man should. His friends were killed in war one by one as Paul wondered why he was still alive. He faced many trials; guilt from killing enemies who he believed were just people like he was, losing friends, and losing himself. Paul was injured multiple times at war, and was eventually killed. This book focuses mainly on the struggles of a young man at war and his battle to overcome it. One character from this novel that I strongly like is Stanislaus Katczinsky, or “Kat” as his friends call him. Kat is my favorite because he is always the one who takes charge. He is easily my favorite character because his maturity throughout the novel keeps him and his troop alove in many situations. I enjoy Kat’s role in the book because he is mentally and physically strong, and he does not focus on himself but others first. Something