Erich Maria Remarque, the author of “All quiet on the Western front uses multiple techniques
throughout the film all changing the way you read the novel. The most impacting technique Remarque uses would be symbolism he uses it many times through the novel each time many something different but still impacting the way you read the novel. The use of symbolism used in this novel also impacts the way you think about it. It helps you understand the theme of this novel which is showing the horror of war.
A technique Remarque uses multiple times throughout the novel is symbolism, although Remarque uses symbolism many times the most memorable one would be Kemmerich’s boots. Kemmerich is the first of Paul’s friends to die, therefore Paul struggles very much with his loss. Throughout the rest of the film his boots get passed around to numerous of his mates. The boots symbolise death. The idea that every many who wears the boots sometime or another end up dying. The boots also symbolise the idea that boots or materialistic things are more important than a person’s life.
Another key scene in which Erich Maria Remarque uses symbolism is when the guys go back from the front line. Remarque uses girls as symbolism in two different situations, Remarque first uses it when Paul and two of his mates find a poster with a girl on it ,a poster most people would just walk by, however they are very fond of the girl on this poster and even tear the guy out of the image. The second time is when they meet three girls while at a river. That night they go over to meet the girls and spend the night with them.They go to great lengths to be able to do so, they are even willing to give some of these very small amounts of food. This symbolises first off how no matter how much they go through at war they are still just young men at the end of the day, and secondly it shows what life should be like they should be going to university or work, dating girls and going to parties instead they are suffering, fighting and dying at a young age. Another aspect this shows is the “lost generation” , the idea that Paul and his entire generation was all lost in this war. They went straight from school into a life ending war.
Yet another time Remarque uses symbolism is when Paul dies. Paul has a very casual death. There is no heroism or gruesomeness about it; he just goes from alive one second to dead the next. Remarque makes his death feel so small and unnecessary that it seems as though it was almost after thought. Remarque does this as it symbolizes that war has already killed the best part of Paul although he is physically still alive mentally he isn’t. He has seen too much to be able to live a normal life. On top of that he has nothing to go back to, no job, wife, kids and very little family. Paul’s death shows how much war has affected the soldiers even if it didn’t kill you.
Erich Maria Remarque uses symbolism throughout this film to convey the main themes. Remarque uses symbolism to make a bigger impact. He takes things that are very common like posters of girls or spending time at home and turns them into much deeper meaning. He then does the opposite by taking death which is a very abnormal and dismal thing and turns it into a normal and apathetic thing. This impacts us in a bigger way that just telling us about it would. Usually symbolism is used to help people relate to a film however Remarque has used it to do the opposite by taking something normal and making it near impossible to relate to makes the audience think about it on a more personal level. Which overall makes the novel just better to read but more memorable.
