hemingway all quiet on the western front

Bäumer and Kropp are wounded in shrapnel fire and sent away by train. Later, they are sent to guard a deserted village, and make a feast with the food they find in the farmhouses. He rejoins his regiment, and is almost killed during a patrol of enemy lines, taking shelter in a bomb crater with the body of a dead French soldier. He goes to a training camp, where he guards Russian prisoners-of-war, whom he tries to treat kindly. He visits Kemmerich’s mother, and tries to comfort her with a lie about Kemmerich dying instantly and painlessly. He struggles and fails to tell his family about the fighting, and feels disconnected with his old life. Bäumer is given two weeks leave and returns to his home village, where his mother is unwell. With their regiment reduced to 32 men, they are sent away from the front to recover, and Bäumer and the others have a liaison with some French women. They spend two days looking for a wounded soldier, whom they can hear but not see, but without success. They spend several days inside a bomb shelter during a violent offensive, then finally attack enemy lines, making slight gains and taking corned beef and Cognac from the French side. Bäumer and Katczinsky catch and roast a goose in the middle of the night, sharing the meal with their team. Bäumer is nearly killed during shellfire, taking shelter in a cemetery where the graves are blown up. They visit their friend Kemmerich, who dies in hospital after having his leg amputated, and Müller keeps his long-coveted flying boots. After a disastrous day of fighting in which over half of their 150-strong company are killed, the survivors are allowed a bigger portion of food and tobacco. The four become relief troops at the front line, led by Katczinsky, an older officer who becomes a mentor and friend. Nineteen year-old Paul Bäumer volunteers for the German army with his friends Kropp, Müller and Leer following encouragement from their old teacher Kantorek. In which I review All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque’s seminal 1929 novel about a German soldier scarred by his experiences in World War I.

Hemingway all quiet on the western front