Do you know the power of the human mind that is able to help a man survive an event like war? In All Quiet In The Western Front, Paul Baumer, the main character of the book experiences the pain and struggle of World War I. The book discusses and describes vivid pictures of what Paul went through during that time. It illustrates how the war affected Paul himself, as well as the other soldiers, both physically and emotionally. The war affected Paul's emotions, and it brought out new ones that eventually turned him into a different man.
Paul and the rest of the soldiers spend their time in the trenches. He then realizes that he is going to be stuck where he is for a period of time. His tasks become an everyday routine, there is nothing else for Paul and the other soldiers to do in the muddy and bloody battle zone, so instead they decide to make the best of their time. "Thus momentarily we have the two things a soldier needs for contentment: good food and rest. That's not much when one comes to think of it. A few years ago we would despised ourselves terribly. But now we are almost happy. It is all a matter of habit-- even the .
front-line." (pg. 138) This quote discusses that the way of the war had turned Paul and the others to machines and not remain as men. They become as robots and continue their daily routine, instead of act as normal human beings, that has diversity in everyday life. They are almost certain what's coming to them each day of their lives, because they are so used to doing the same tasks. In a way this protects Paul.
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Remarque explains how soldiers need to turn off a switch of their emotions, if they don't, they'll go crazy. "But so long as we have to stay here in the field, the front line days, when they are past, sink down in us like a stone; they are too grievous for us to be able to reflect on them at once.