All Quiet on the Western Front

Where are the men "at rest"?

Where are the men "at rest"?

Five miles behind the front

Why is there such an abundance of rations?

They did not count on so much of a lose of life on the front

Who is the narrator ? And how old is he?

Paul Baumer, Is 19 years old

Tjaden

Is a skinny locksmith. Is the biggest eater

Albert Kropp

Is the best and clearest thinker. Is a lance- corporal. Eventually loses his leg

Muller

Is very smart and dreams of exams. Carries books with him

Leer

Full beard; Likes girls from officers brothals

Haie Westhus

Is a peat-digger; Is shot in the back but brought back to safety by Himmelstoss

Stanislaus Katczinsky

Is the leader of group. Is 40 and very cunning

Detering

Is a peasent, and likes to think of his wife

What is symbolic about Leer's name?

Leer means to have a lustful or sly look as Leer does.

Why do the men feel hostile toward Ginger?

He resists in giving them the extra rations and continually makes them come back from the fighting to get their own food . All the other cooks bring the food up to the men

What is unusual about the latrine facilities?

They do not have a roof, and most of them like to use it to talk and play cards.

What different attitudes about war were held by the "poor and simple" and those who were "better off"?

The "poor and simple" knew what the suffering was really like and so were not tricked by the talk of courage and heroism .

What is the double horror of Behm's death?

The double horror of Behm's death was he was shot in the eye, left for dead, and then came back to the troops. He was shot again because he could not see the enemy as he was shot in the eye.

What is Muller's plan for Kemmerich's boots? Do you think this is cruel?

Muller plans to keep Kemmerich's boots for himself. It is not cruel because he needs them more than Kemmerich will .

What does the theft of Kemmerich's watch tell us about the moral decay fostered by war?

That even as a man is dying, others are only thinking about surival .

What is the mood/atmosphere of Chapter 1?

There is some humor, but mostly we are being introduced to the horror and intense training of the war.

Although the novel is told from the German point-of-view, what universal view does it offer of war?

That death corrupts people

Why is Kantorek wrong in referring to these young men as "Iron Youth"?

Because they are not youth anymore, since they have aged so much by the war

Why is Paul bitter in his feelings toward Kantorek?

Because they feel mocked and tricked by his lies about valor and about their participation in the war.

Why does Paul refer to his generation as a "waste land"?

Because they have left the connections of their families without making new families or aspirations.

Who is Corporal Himmelstoss?

He is the leader of No.9 platoon in which all of the boys/men previously described are stationed. In civilian life, he was a postman

What prejudice does Paul have against small men? Why?

Paul does not like small men because he believes that they try to make up for their lack in size with the power that they are given.

How do Paul and Kropp get revenge on Himmelstoss?

They wait until the end of their training, and then they wait to "attack" him as he leaves a bar one night.

According to Paul, what is the finest thing to arise from the war?

Comradeship

What makes Kemmerich's death so personal for Paul?

They grew up together

What is significant about Kemmerich's telling Paul to take the boots for Muller?

It shows that Kemmerich understands that he is going to die, and that Muller meant no harm in asking for the boots.

Describe the character of Paul from what you have learned in the first two chapters.

He is caring, a loyal friend

Kemmerich's death illustrates part of the central message of the novel. Do you have an idea of what this message is?

War destroys the innocence in people, and claims many lives in the process.

Why is it ironic that Paul and his comrades refer to themselves as "stone-age veterans" when they compare themselves to the new recruits?

They are only about a year older and only a few months more on the front than the new recruits.

Describe Katczinsky. What is his special talent?

He is very street smart. His special talent is he can find food anywhere.

What is Kropp's philosophy of war?

That if you could just set the two leaders to fighting and then declare the winner's country the winner of the war, war would be more just because the "right" people would do the fighting.

What is the author's intention in expounding these?

To point out that innocent men fight in the war and that while fighting they think about while they are actually fighting in the war

What is Kropp's philosophy concerning power given to insignificant men?

That they abuse their power

Who is coming to the front? Why do these men strongly anticipate his arrival?

Himmelstoss . Because of the way that he treated them in the barracks , which was bad

Why are Paul and his comrades sent to the front?

Backup

How do the men change as they approach the front? Why is this change necessary?

They get more and more fidgety , and more serious. They need to get more serious and make sure they are aware of the danger of the front.

What happens to the horses which are used in this battle?

They are severely wounded and scream in pain

How does Detering react to the wounding of the horses?

He just wants to put them out of their misery

How do Paul and his comrades manage to save themselves from the shelling?

They dive into a hole that has been created by being shelled, but they end up next to corpses because they are in a graveyard

How do Paul and his comrades manage to save themselves from the gas attack?

By helping each other to put on their gas masks

According to Remarque, how does a soldier feel about the earth

it is his only stability.

What happens to the young soldier that Paul helped at the beginning of the chapter? What do Paul and Kat wish to do for him? Why don't they do it?

He gets injured when a coffin lands on top of him after it is blown up by shelling. To put him out of his misery. Others begin to gather around as they appear from the trenches.

Why,can't the men get rid of their lice?

Because they have hundreds on each of their heads.

Why has Himmelstoss been sent to the front?

Because he overdid his "lessons" of a few young recruits, and the son of the local magistrate saw and reported him.

How do the men treat Himmeistoss?

They don't show him any respect.

How does Tjaden get in trouble with Himmelstoss? And Why isn't he prosecuted?

He treats him as any other soldier, not a superior and he isn't prosecuted because Paul tells the story of the bed-wetting torture.

What feelings does Paul express while he and Kat are roasting the goose ? Out of what do these feelings grow?

That he is the closest to this man out of anyone on the earth at this point. The feeling is loneliness

Why do the men joke about death?

They see coffins newly made and lined up against a schoolhouse that are made for any of them that get killed in battle

Why, according to Paul, must every man believe in Chance and trust his luck?

Because there is not much else here that they can trust.

Describe the men's battle with the rats.

They lure the fat rats out with gnawed pieces of bread and then fry them with their pocket torches.

How do the men know they are really cut off from all help when they are being attacked?

Because the barrage is so heavy that they know that if anyone tried to get through the line, that they would get killed.

What often happens to the young recruits during an attack? Why are so many of them killed?

They freeze and cannot fight. So many of thema re killed because they get crazy and end up getting shot.

To what level are the men reduced during an attack? What is the most important thing to them?

They become "wild beasts", and the most important thing to them is defending themselves against death

Describe the night the men spend listening to the wounded man cry out for help.

Because there are so many dying men to bring in, sometimes it takes a while for them to get to all of the men.

How does Himmelstoss react in battle?

He panics. He gets a small scratch and pretends to be more seriously wounded

Describe the scene in the field after the battle is over. What do the men see?

They see Haie Westhus with his lung nearly bulging out of his back and others with their skulls blown open.

How many men did the company lose?

They are down to thiry-two men.

How does Paul feel about the brunette he meets? Are the feelings returned?

Afraid, and he feels comforted by her face and its gentleness. No ,She shows no emotion when Paul has to go on leave.

What feelings does the picture of the girl in the white dress provoke in the men?

They feel excited, happy, joyful, and want to be the man in the white trousers next to her to lure her by their charm.

How does Paul feel about being home?

He cannot see life normally anymore. There is a barrier/block between his present self and the past of his youth.

What are his mother's reactions to his visit? What are his father's reactions?

His mother has saved food for him to come home even though they are always low on rations at home. His His father wants to hear the courageous stories of Paul's experience

What has happened to Kantorek?

He has been called up as a territorial.

Why is Paul repulsed by the conversation he has with his German master?

Because he acts like he knows what is going on with the war, but only speaks the same babble that Kantorek would talk about regarding the courageous duty and spirit of a soldier.

Tell about Paul's visit with Kemmerich's mother. Why does he persist in lying to her?

. She weeps and cannot understand why her son had to die while Paul got to live. He lies to her because He wants to preserve her the grief of believing that he suffered.

Why does Paul say he should never have had a leave?

It is only a pause which makes everything after it so much worse.

Why do the soldiers at the camp on the moor become so close to nature?

Because they feel so alone

Describe the Russian prisoners Why does Paul feel sorry for them?.

They seem nervous and afraid. Because he realizes their humanity.

What is wrong with Paul's mother? Why is his father afraid to ask the surgeon how much her operation will cost?

She is dying of cancer. Because he knows that if he asks the doctor, the doctor will automatically assume that Paul's father cannot afford it and , will not do the surgery, since he thinks he will not be getting paid.

Why is it hard for Paul to spend time with his family?

He knows that he cannot fix their problems which are very real, but he also feels so disconnected from them after being on the front.

How do the men prepare for the Kaiser's visit? Who is the Kaiser?

They are issued all new uniforms, and there are so many drills and attention to perfection. The kaiser is the the emperor of Germany.

The men have a discussion about who starts war - What conclusions do they reach?

That even if the Kaiser had said no to the war it would have happened because the government is more than one. They also conclude that the French believe that they are in the right just as much as they do. They decide that a war is started because the State is offended by another country.

What type of damage do trench mortars cause?

They can blow you up

What happens to Paul on scouting duty? How is he saved? How does he feel about his comrades

He gets lost in the trenches and looses his sense of direction therefore ending up on the enemy line. He is saved by after killing Duval, he runs for safety from trench to trench during the cover of night until he finds Kat and Albert. How he feels about his comrades is they are really close to him. They share the same fear and life.

Who is Gerard Duval? How is Paul affected by his death?

He is the enemy man that Paul stabs to death when he falls in the pit that Paul is hiding in when behind enemy lines. He is affected by his death by he almost goes mad with the time that he slowly watches the man die

How does the troop manage to live well for a few days?

They are supposed to guard a village that has been abandoned because it is being shelled to heavily. They find all sorts of leftover food including a dozen eggs, butter, potatoes, carrots, green peas, and some pigs.

What happens to Paul when he returns to the front? hat happens to Albert?

He has lost his dodging instincts and gets injured on the leg and arm.

Why doesn't Paul want to get into a clean bed on the troop train?

Because he feels too dirty with his lice and filth from being on the front for so long

How does Paul manage to get off the train with Albert?

By bribing the medical sergeant major with cigars.

How do the men get the nuns to stop praying over them at the crack of dawn?

They throw whatever they can reach out into the hallway after Paul counts to five to try and give the nuns a chance at stopping their prayers before anything is thrown.

Why does Joseph Hammacher let the nuns know he has a shooting license?

Because he knows that he can do whatever he wishes .because he has the shooting license.

What is the Dying Room?

Where the men who are about to die and who have no hope for recovery are taken so that they will be closer to the morgue to be more easily moved when the DO die

Who returns from the Dying Room?

Peter

Why do the men try to discourage the two young solders from having the doctor operate on their flat feet?

They say that the doctors only use the flat feet for medical experiments and most of the time end up crippling those they operate

Paul does a great deal of thinking while he is in the hospital. How does he feel about the war?

That it makes the rest of the world and the expression therein pointless when such horror goes on

How does he feel about the young men his age who are involved in the war?

That their knowledge of life is limited to death

What favor do the men do for Lewandowski?

They leave the room so that he can make love to his wife.

Why is it hard for Paul to leave the hospital?

He doesn't want to leave his friend, Albert Kropp even though Albert is no longer suicidal.

What is the central action in this chapter? What happens to the German army?

The German troops are being surrounded by the allies on both sides. They are surrounded and starving. They are running out of ammunition and horses.

What happens to Muller, Bertinck, Leer, and Kat?

Muller - he is shot point blank in the stomach; Bertinck - is wounded in the chest . A grenade tears away his chin. Leer - His hip is torn open by the grenade, and he quickly bleeds to death; Kat - At the very last as the war is almost over, his shin gets smashed and bleeds profusely.

What is the only thing that helps these men endure their conditions?

Knowing that there are no better possibilities

What new weapons used by the Allies contribute to the collapse of the Western Front?

Tanks, flamethrowers, Howitzer

When Kat is wounded, what does Paul try to do for him? What is the outcome of this? What is Paul's mental state afterward?

Get him a stretcher but he needs to take Kat with him because his wound is bleeding fast. The outcome is Kat gets shot in the head as Paul carries him to the dressing station, and he dies. Paul's mental state is delirious and hopeless. He can barely stand, and his eyes nearly role back in his head.

What point has been reached in the war in the Fall of 1918?

There is speak of peace and armistice. Paul says if there is not peace this time, there will be a revolution of the soldiers.

Why does Paul get a fourteen day rest?

He has swallowed a bit of gas.

What does Paul predict for his generation? Does his prediction come true?

That they are so weary and broken . They will not have connection because any hope of building some was killed in the war. That does happen with a lot of people who come back from the war.

Why does the point-of-view change to the third person for the last two paragraphs of the story?

Paul dies

What is ironic about Paul's death?

He is finally at peace and calm, almost glad that the end had come. He dies after he thinks that the war is over. He didn't even die on the front where most of the action was taking place

Which character narrates the story All Quiet on the Western Front?

Paul Baumer