Character Analysis: All Quiet in the Western Front

In the novel, All Quiet in the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Paul Baumer appears as the narrator as well as protagonist who along with many other young men in their early twenties  brainwashed by the preaching of their parents and teachers on ideals of patriotism were compelled to join the war. The entire novel revolves around the conflict between Paul's inner personality and the "cold and harsh" reality of war, and how his inner personality changes over time during the war and the later periods.

 As per his past life memories, Paul describes himself as sensitive and compassionate young man in his early twenties who wrote poetry and loved his family, and recalls how different he was before he joined the war. However, during of the war, he learns to detach or disconnect his mind from his inner emotions and feelings for his own survival. Because of this, the compassionate and sensitive man becomes unable to mourn on the death of his comrades and fellow soldiers in the war. Nevertheless, at some parts of the novel, he expresses the  sense of sorrow and emotions during the death of his closest friend Kemmerich, and the time he spent with his mother after he goes back home.
In the novel,  Paul's life experiences depict the experiences of the generation of men who in their early age have to go straight and fight the war. Due to this reason, even if the war end he along with other soldiers had no idea what they would do once the war was over. Even after he went back to his home and met his family, he could not feel the same experience as he was supposed to after the end of the war. Because of the war life, he could not adapt himself to the after-war period and preferred to go back to war.

For the list of main characters from the novel, click here