Death-of-the-Other Erich Maria Remarque lets us know exactly what theme he intends for All Quiet on the Western Front in the short note that comes just before Chapter 1. He attests that the novel tries to simply tell the story of a generation of young men whom World War I destroyed– even if they survived the shelling. The text of the book supposedly neither accuses, confesses, nor least of all makes an adventure out of death, “…showed first 75 words of 1649 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1649 total…self-preservation and for maintaining the immortality of the ego. We respond likewise to the death-of-a-loved-one. Although the loved ones are parts of us, they are partly our strangers as well. No matter who dies, there will always be the feeling of ple! asure that arises from perpetuating the life of the individual and being able to evade death, as delicately weaved into Paul Baumer’s experiences in All Quiet on the Western Front. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**