All Quiet on the Western Front Study Guide
World War I Info:
Triple Alliance Triple Entente Western Front location
Why It All Started Event that Instigated War First Declaration of War
America’s Opinion
Characters:
Paul Baumer Albert Kropp Leer Stanilaus Katczinsky
Tjaden Kantorek Himmelstoss Haie Westhus
Franz Kemmerich Muller Lewandowski Detering
Mittelsteadt Gerard Duval Joseph Hamacher Peter
Joseph Behm
Chapters (there is more to the book than these, but here are a few to jog your memory):
How should war be decided? amount of people left in their company
Himmelstoss on the front line amount of people left in their class
“a sign of a bad time coming” Paul’s leave
Summer of 1918 Russian soldiers
new recruits chasing and cooking the goose
insubordination towards Himmelstoss Paul’s death and the signing of the Armistice
Overall Questions:
1. Why is the book titled All Quiet on the Western Front?
2. Did you expect the novel to end the way it did? Why or why not? Do you think the ending is appropriate, or would a different ending fit the novel better? Explain.
3. A theme is not simply the subject of a literary work, but rather a statement that the text seems to be making about that subject. Three key themes (overall message) of All Quiet on the Western Front are:
1. the horror of war (anti-war, realistic)
2. the effect of war on a soldier
3. nationalism and political power
Explain these themes in detail.
4. What images from the novel linger in your mind? Explain why these images made an impression on you.
5. Analyze whether there are any heroes present in All Quiet on the Western Front. What is the nature of their heroism? Are there any villains in the novel? What makes them villainous?
6. Discuss the possible statements that Remarque might have been making by the ironic way he kills off the characters of Kat and Paul--veteran soldiers who survive many terrible fights but end up dying anyway when they aren't in battle.