All Quiet on the Western Front: Dialectic Journal, One

"Through the years our first business has been killing;-it was our first calling in life. Our knowledge of life is limited to death. What will happen afterwards? And what shall come out of us?"

This quotation in regards to the text is very important because it tells of the Paul's view on the war. He feels as though the war has alienated him from the rest of the world, he has nothing to go back to, nothing to remind him of how things were before. It is as though he has not been able to develop normally, to live the life that he may feel he is entitled to- a life without the overwhelming presence of death. I chose this quote from the story because I felt that it is very descriptive of the way war has the power to distance people from their families, not only physically but emotionally as well. I would imagine it is very difficult to connect with someone who has not been through the same sort of experiences that you have, especially ones that have shaped you at a somewhat young age. I was also drawn to this section of the text because it has a sense of confrontation about the war. It also seems as though Paul was not prepared for this type of lasting effect when he enlisted for the war.