The novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque has revealed the horrifying and devastating effects of war on humanity. Instead of presenting, like many other novels did before, the glorifying and heroic aspects of war, Remarque showed how innocent and young soldiers became victims of a terror. In addition, Remarque critiqued the negative role of authority, patriotism and nationalism that placed pressure on the youngster's decision about enlisting during the World War I. Through main character's, Paul Bummer, narration the reader is introduced to the effect of war on individuals as they gather the experiences of war. These experiences transformed soldiers into some sort of animals by destroying their human values possessed before the war.
During the novel, soldiers are exposed to the constant danger of death and unbearable conditions which provoke the instinctive characteristics of survival to take place. Remarque describes the very harsh state in which soldiers have to live during war. From the beginning the author illustrates, with the scene about Kammerich's boots, the effect of war on individual's reaction towards the death of close ones. Kammerich's friends are more concerned with ensuring the possession of boots rather than with the dying comrade. However, this kind of behavior becomes acceptable during the period of war, as soldiers get accustomed to the death of others and start to think about their own survival. Those, who at first mourn for the dead, become victims of the nervous breakdowns. Therefore, soon they attempt to escape any kind of feelings or emotions and become self-centered in order to survive. .
Remarque shows the transformation of young soldiers by representing the whole generation in a single human being, Paul. Even though, Paul appears to be one of the wisest and emotionally stable people in the novel, he experiences struggle with the connection to the normal life outside the war.