Barnes 1
Terry Barnes
Mrs. Smith
English 2nd period
4 May 2015
The Irony of War
The novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a story based on one man’s time during World War I (Pupp, Kolby). Paul is a man who joined the German army with his friends from school (Pupp, Kolby). Erich Maria Remarque uses irony all throughout the book (Pupp, Kolby). The way Remarque depicts irony is exemplary, because as soon as you read it you sense that irony is being used (Pupp, Kolby). Irony is an important part in the story, because it shows how Paul is battling himself, others and everything around him during the war (Pupp, Kolby).
One chapter of the book Paul is on leave and gets to go home for a while (Pupp, Kolby). During Paul’s leave home while he is walking around town he runs into a Major in the army, at this point Remarque uses irony towards people (Pupp, Kolby). The Major says “Thank God, we have discipline here!” (163) at first Paul does not realize who it is and the Major gets very vexed and yells at Paul (Pupp, Kolby). This is a perfect example of irony, because Paul only bumped into him and didn’t know who it was at first, while the Major is screaming at him in the middle of the town (Pupp, Kolby). This is why the Major doesn’t have any discipline, because knows how to control himself from being angry with Paul (Pupp, Kolby). Paul has discipline and he knows it, because as much as he would like to argue with the Major Paul holds himself back and does what he is told to do (Pupp, Kolby).
Another example of irony is when Paul and his comrades hear about their fellow soldiers’ deaths (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). “... there is a double ration of sausage and bread” (“All Quiet on The Western Front). Instead of mourning the deaths of the fellow comrades, they see it as an extra ration of food and cigarettes (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). Basically, they are benefiting from the deaths of other soldiers (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). On the day of Paul’s death is considered ironic, because it was all quiet on the western front (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). “His face had an expression of calm, as though almost glad the end had come” (296) (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). The irony behind this is that Paul didn’t die on the days of bombardment and shell fires (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). He survived through the harshest of times but passed away during a time of peace when anyone can survive (“All Quiet On The Western Front”). Remarque used irony when killing off the characters Paul and Kat (Aslan). Towards the end of the novel one thinks these guys might actually have a chance (Aslan). Instead of a horrendous battle or a cluster of bombs, Kat is simply killed by a splinter bullet (Aslan). An innocuous bullet meant for a different target (Aslan). Paul’s irony is that he dies alone when the eve of the German surrenders (Aslan). After all his trials, pain and misery he had become a soldier; he had become a man, only to die in the quiet of the western front (Aslan).
There are types of irony that comes into play in the novel. Situational irony occurs when Himmelstoss gets food for Tjaden on page 138, and when Paul uses the coffin as protection for the war on page 67 (Hannah). Verbal irony occurs on page 99 when the soldiers see the coffins made for them and Muller says, “That’s a good preparation for the offensive” but he knows they were made for them (Hannah). Also it occurs on page 10, Kropp opens a letter from Kantorek and Muller that says, “I wish he was here” but he doesn’t (Hannah). An example of dramatic irony is when on page 180, Paul convinced Kemmerich’s mother that he died peacefully but the reader knows he’s lying (Hannah). Remarque not only uses the types of irony but irony in general. For instance, Detering runs from his, because he misses his farm (“Questions…”). The irony behind this is that he leaves the army that is fighting for his country and goes back to the country (“Questions…”). Another example of irony can be seen through the idea that the men in the army are fighting to escape death, yet all the main characters in Paul’s company end up dying, even so many die the year that the war ended, 1918 (“Questions…”). The purpose of Remarque’s use of irony seems to draw readers in and force them to make their own conclusions about what they read, as they decipher his hidden codes (“Questions…”).
During the novel of All Quiet on the Western Front is about one man’s journey through World War I (Pupp, Kolby). By the end of the story we realize that Paul has lost so much meaning in his life (Pupp, Kolby). He has lost his personality, best friend, and friends (Pupp, Kolby). When Paul dies the reader starts to wonder if Paul had lost all of his hope or if he dies with hope of there being peace again (Pupp, Kolby). War is gruesome and anybody who reads this book realizes how bad it was back during World War I (Pupp, Kolby).