"All Quiet on the Western Front" Motifs

Kemmerich

Mar 13, 1914

Forrest Gump Example
His leg is amputated without him knowing and Kemmerich is devastated, thinking he will die. In the same way, Lieutenant Dan is devastated that he did not die in the war like his predecessors but instead was left without legs.

Bombardment

Jun 13, 1914

War Horse Example
The Western Front gets heavily bombarded and Paul and his group are in the middle of it. In this War Horse scene men are running though no man's land, trying to avoid getting hit by machine guns and bombs.

Graveyard Bombardment

Jan 26, 1915

Elton John LyricsThe young boy was nervous and jumped into a coffin for protection where his arm was stuck and injured. At one point this song talks about the soldiers who were given weapons and how cruel it was. This relates to the book because the new recruit was in the same position, given a gun without the strength to use it

Injured Horse

Jun 14, 1915

During a bombardment a horse, along with others, is injured and tries to run away while tripping on its intestines.

Geese

Aug 13, 1915

Kat and Paul go out to kill geese for food and have to smash their heads against a wall.

Pancakes Bombing

Jan 13, 1916

The soldiers find food and continue to make pancakes while getting bombarded.

Paul Kills A French Soldier

Mar 13, 1916

Poem Exmaple When Paul is hiding on the front he is discovered by a French soldier and immediatly attacks him. After realizing that the soldier is still alive Pual tries to help him and feels guilty. In this poem the writer talks about killing a foe in a similar circumstance and says that if they had met anywhere else they would have treated eachother like people.

Amputation

Jul 13, 1916

Monty Python Example
When Paul and Albert are taken to a hospital many of the soldiers, including Paul and Albert, have to have amputations. Some of them go insane as a result of the war and their injuries.

Insanity

Sep 13, 1916

Shutter Island
While in the hospital many soldiers are badly injured and go insane. Some even try to kill themselves. In shutter island, the movie takes place in a mental institution, revealing many mentally unstable patients. In addition, the main character is traumatized from what he saw while in the army during World War II and is haunted by the more recent death of his wife in a fire.

Kat's Death

Oct 13, 1916

After getting caught in drossfire Kat is badly injured and Paul carries him to safety. However, Pual does not realize that Kat has suffered severe damage to his head and quickly dies.