Study Guide Questions Chapters 1-12

Study Guide Questions Chapters 1-12

Chapters 1-2

1. What is the setting of the story?

The setting of the story is five miles behind the front in Germany.

1. What does Paul say about men like Kantorek?

He says that they always carry their feeling ready in their waitcoat pockets and trot them out by the hour.

1. What did the first bombardment and the first killing do to Paul's faith in the adult world?

The first bombardment and the first killing made him more of an adult. He realizes what life is about and how vulnerable it is. It scars him and he becomes more of an adult.

1. Is this story necessarily just about Germans?

No this story is about all the soldiers who went through war.

1. What is the mood or atmosphere of the story?

The mood is really sad. There is death everywhere and it has feeling of growing up and maturity.

1. What is one theme of the story so far?

One theme is the theme of maturity.

1. What does the theft of Kemmerich's watch represent?

Kemmerich’s watch represents discipline and boundries.

Chapter 2:

1. Why does Paul's generation feel that it is a wasteland?

Paul’s generation feels that it is a wasteland because there are so many people dying everywhere and it is so dismal and sad.

1. What kind of person is Himmlestoss?

Himmlestoss is a short, puny person who is insignificant but wants to feel important. He thinks he has more authority than he does. He is pathetic.

1. What have been two important results of Paul's military training?

Paul’s military training has made him more mature and it has made him a stronger person. He has learned some very important lessons at such a young age.

1. What is the significance of Kemmerich's death scene?

The significance of Kemmerich’s death scene is not only to show how sad the war is, and how many people die in it, but also to show that people in the war are in such need of tools that we take for granted everyday such as a good pair of boots. His friend was more worried about the boots than his death.

1. What is the irony in the comment, "We are the Iron youth?"

The irony is that they are not really youth, they consider themselves to be adults because of how much they have gone through.

1. What kind of character is Paul?

He is mature and strong because he has gone through so many hardships in his life already yet he is so young. Also, He is very loyal to his friends and he has symapathy towards the other characters because of their situations.

Chapters 3-4

Chapter 3

1. For what does Katzcinsky have a reputation?

He has a reputation for having a sixth sense. He is the smartest. He understands all treades.

1. How does Kropp think wars should be fought?

Kropp thinks wars should be fought as a popular festival with entrance tickets and bands and the ministers and generals o the two countries would be armed with clubs and have it out among themselves and whoever survives, his country would win.

1. What were Himmelstoss's drill exercises?

The drill exercises were physical training with a quick march, and potato peeling. Also they would practice a change in the barrack-room where they had to pretend like they were passing through a subway and each man stood at attention on the let side of his bed, and then they would have to scramble to the other side of the bed when a command was called.

1. What had been Himmelstoss's profession before the war?

He was a postman.

1. What does Kropp say happens to little men like Himmelstoss when they get stars or stripes?

Kropp says that when little men get stars or stripes they snap at it. One man must always have power over another in the army. He will abuse his power. The more insignificant the man has been in civil life, the worse they are with abusing their power.

1. What reason does Kropp give for officers' making drill exercises so difficult?

He says that having so much power has turned the commander’s head, and nobody blames him because they praise him for being strict.

Chapter 4:

1. What is the importance of the "earth to a soldier?"

A soldier buries his face and his limbs deep into earth from the fear of death from shell-fire. The earth shelters a soldier from battle. It is a soldiers protection.

1. What influence does the front have on soldiers?

The front has great influence on soldiers. It changes a man. The consiousness of the front changes a man. It sharpens their senses. It has emitted an electric current which awakened unknown nerve-centers. Everything is awakened.

1. What two situations in battle serve a comic relief from the grim battle being waged?

The rockets the cigarettes and the comfort of other soldiers.

4. What does the death of the horses represent?

The death of the horses represented their own deaths.

1. What does the graveyard scene say about the value of human life?

It says that they do not have very much value. Bodies are being flown around everywhere. People are just dying and not being buried, just being left there.

1. Why is this such an important chapter in the novel?

This chapter really shows a change in the characters and it is the first chapter that they actually go to battle in. It also shows the relationships between the soldiers.

Chapters 5-6

Chapter 5:

1. How does the first sentence tell us that the mood of the this chapter will be very different than that of the previous chapter?

The first sentence of this chapter shows that the mood will be awaiting something to happen rather than actually in the action. It will not be as sad.

2. What do the following pan to do after the war is over:

a. Kropp: He plans on going back to his wife and children.

b. Detering: He wants to go back to his harvesting.

c. Haie: He wants a woman and he wants a real feather bed mattress.

1. What does Muller try to make them realize about their goals?

He says they’ll never make anything of their lives. There needs preparation and a student’s life is not for a soldier because a soldier is already mature and acts like a real man.

1. Why does Kropp feel that "The has ruined us for everything?"

He says that it has ruined them for everything because they will all die someday anyway and he does not want an education.

1. How does Paul explain his close relationship with Kat?

He explains his close relationship with Kat while they are eating the geese, he says that they feel in unison and are so intimate that they do not even speek. They are brothers and comrades.

Chapter 6:

1. How does the first paragraph of this chapter indicate that the mood of this chapter will be different than the previous one?

They go up to the front and so there will be more action, they will be in battle, and there will be death and injuries so it will be sad.

1. The front was referred to as a whirlpool. What does Paul call it now?

Paul describes it as a cage in which they must wait fearfully whatever my happen.

1. Why is "Chance" capitalized?

Chance is capitalized because it is being emphasized. There is only a chance that they may live. It is an important word.

1. What does the incident about rats say about how man compares to the animals?

Man compares to the animals because they are both in the trenches fighting for their lives and they are both trying to survive. They are living off scraps in order survive. They are willing to do anything to get what is necessary in order to survive.

1. How do new recruits react to their first combat?

New recruits react to their first combat by going insane. In the trenches they become clausterphobic and try to escape. Then on the battlefield, they are inexperienced and make wrong decisions as to where to turn to for cover.

1. Paul longs for his youth, but what does he realize about it?

Paul longs or his youth but realizes that if their youth was given back to them, they would not know what to do with it. He has the feeling of communion and comradeship.

Chapters 7-8

Chapter 7:

1. Baumer says the men become animals at the front. What do they become when they rest?

When the men rest, they become normal men. They are men without much to live for. They are just men.

1. What is Paul's attitude about those who die?

Paul’s attitude is that he cannot help them now. They are at rest. It is only a matter of when he is going to die now because those who die are at rest.

1. Why do the men make jokes?

The men make jokes to pass the time. They make jokes to get their minds off the war.

1. How does Paul feel when he first enters his home? When he talks to his mother?

When he first enters his home he feels different. He feels like he does not belong. When he talks to his mother he cannot feel at home. There is a strangeness.

1. How do his father's and mother's attitudes toward his fighting different?

His father wants to know everything about the war and his mother does not ask any questions.

1. What does his room represent to Paul?

To Paul, his room represents the past. It represents his childhood and what was before the war.

1. Who is Boettcher? Who was he?

Boettcher was their school porter. Now he is a model

1. What does Paul tell Kemmerich's mother?

Paul tells Kemmerich’s mother that he died instantly so that she will not worry about how painfully his death was.

1. Why is he willing to swear a lie?

He is willing to swear to a lie because she will never find out, and it is for her own good.

1. Why does Paul regret having been on leave?

Paul regrets having been on leave because he was a soldier, but now that he has come back he is nothing but an agony for himself, his mother, and for everything that is so comfortless and without end.

Chapter 8:

1. What description in this chapter proves to Paul that he is no longer indifferent, but that he is sensitive?

The description of the Russian prisoners proves to Paul that he is sensitive because he is sympathetic towards them and he is sorry for them.

1. Are the descriptions of the Russian prisoners sympathetic or unsympathetic?

The descriptions of the Russian prisoners are sympathetic because he pities them. He feels sorry for them and would like to help them.

1. According to Paul, how do the Russians seem different from the Germans?

The Russians seem different from the Germans because they are feeble and do not get enough nourishment. They are starving. They have dysentery and have bloodstained shirts. Their backs and necks are bend and their knees and heads sag.

1. According to Paul what has made these "silent figures" his enemies and what could make them his friends?

Paul says that a word of command has made these silent figures their enemies, and a word of command would make them his friends.

Chapters 9-10

Chapter 9:

1. What has changed about his regiment when Paul returns?

When Paul returns, they are getting ready to be inspected by the Kaiser so they are polishing everything up. They are doing so many drills that it looks like a base camp.

1. Why is Paul disappointed in the Kaiser?

Paul is disappointed because he imagined him to be bigger, more powerfully built, and to have a thundering voice.

1. Whatdo the men conclude about the causes of war?

The men conclude that the causes of war are because the people behind the war from it like the generals because there are not famous generals unless they have been in a war. Also, it is like a kind of fever. Another reason would be that there are so many lies told by the opposing sides.

1. What happens to Paul as he is out on patrol?

When Paul is out on patrol he ends up getting stuck between Russian fire and he is in a bowl. A man jumps in it with him and he stabs him. The man dies.

1. What thoughts does he have as he lies in the "bowl?"

When he is lying in the bowl he hears the warning voice of his mother. He sees the Russians leaning against the wire fence. He has a picture of a canteen with stools of a cinema in Valenciennes. In his imagination he sees a grey muzzle of a rifle, which moves before him, whichever way he turns.

1. How does Paul react differently to this killing than to the others?

Paul reacts differently because he has to witness the guy dying. He has to live with what he has done. Also, he realizes that this guy is no different then himself. He understands that this is just a normal guy and he gets to know his name and see that he has a family. It becomes personal.

1. What contrast does the author draw at the end of the chapter whenPaul returns to his lines?

When Paul returns to his lines, it is much different. He tells a man what happens and there is nothing new about it because so many people die out there. It is back to the regular killing. It goes from being so personal and from panic to everyday regular front line business.

Chapter 10:

1. What assignment are Paul and his comrades given?

They have to guard a village that has been abandoned because it has been shelled to heavily.

1. What criticisms are made of the war-time medical practices?

They say that the doctors are the worst part of the war. The doctors intentionally try to hurt the patients. Also, the doctors use the patients in order to try new things on them so the soldiers are basically their lab rats.

1. Why does Paul say the war is a glorious time for surgeons?

Paul says the war is a glorious time for surgeons because they get so much practice and can try new things on them so they use the soldiers as their guinea pigs.

1. How does the hospital show "what war is?"

The hospital shows what war is because the most terrible part of war is the hospital. This is where the amputations and everything takes place. The doctors also intentionally try to hurt the patients. It is the worst part of the war.

1. To what is a soldier's knowledge of life limited?

A soldier does not know when he is going to die because they say they will put him in a different room and they call it something different but what they don’t tell him is that they he is dying and they are taking him to a dying room so it is easier when he dies to take care of him.

Chapters 11-12

Chapters 11-12

1. Why does Tjaden eat fast?

He does not know when he is going to die.

1. What happened to Detering?

Detering tried to go back home across the border and the military police caught him. He wanted to go back home to his farm.

1. What is ironic about the factory owners in Germany?

The factory owners make money off of the deaths of the soldiers.

1. What is the only thing the men have to look forward to?

The only thing the men have to look forward to is the peace-time.

1. How does Paul react to Kat's death?

Paul doesn’t believe the guy at first and then when he is massaging his temples he realizes that he is dead. He is very sad. This is his last friend.

1. Why is Paul no longer afraid?

He has nothing to live for because all his friends are already dead. He doesn’t care because he has nothing else to lose. He is tired of life.

1. What is the irony of the book's final sentence?

He died on a quiet day. The war is almost over when he dies. He suffered for four years. When he actually dies he is not suffering. Death is welcome. It is an end to pain and what he has gone through.