All Quiet on the Western Front Essay: Nature of War :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All Quiet on the Western Front:   Nature of War  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the books All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and The Wars by Timothy Findley, there is clear evidence of the nature of war. With all the efforts of preparation, discipline, and anticipation, false hopes were created for the young individuals, who leave the battlefields with numerous emotional and physical scars. The propaganda and disciplinary training to convince naà ¯ve young men to go to battle to fight for their country, the death of their comrades, and the physical breakdown are all part of twentieth century warfare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paul Baumer is the main character in All Quiet on the Western Front, and Robert Ross is the main character in The Wars.   Both boys were at a very young age when they were exposed to World War 1.   The war was getting worse as the days went by, and the soldiers were dying quickly.   The commanding officers felt it was best to convince young men to enter the war to support and fight for their country.   They were not told whom they were really fighting for, or the cause.   In Paul’s case, Germany was under attack from many sides, and it was best for him to head for the front lines and defend his fatherland.   Paul was almost â€Å"brainwashed† and was completely convinced that he was doing the right thing. Once it was different.   When we went to the district commandant to enlist, we were a class of twenty young men, many of whom proudly shaved for the first time before going to the barracks.   We had no definite plans for our future.   Our thoughts of a career and occupation were as yet of too unpractical a character to furnish any scheme of life.   We were still crammed full of vague ideas which gave to life, and to the war also an ideal and almost romantic character.   We were trained in the army for ten weeks and in this time more profoundly influenced than by ten years at school (Remarque 25).      However, in Robert’s case, he felt neglected by his family, and sought refuge in the war as a way of escaping his family and the death of his sister. Robert envied him because he could go away when this was over and surround himself with space.   (It was then, perhaps, the first inkling came that it was time for Robert to join the army (Findley 24).