All Quiet on the Western Front · Chapter
Chapter 1 explained
Paul Bäumer and his classmates, having enlisted under the influence of their teacher Kantorek, are now at the front.
What happens
Paul Bäumer and his classmates, having enlisted under the influence of their teacher Kantorek, are now at the front. They reflect on the harsh training under Corporal Himmelstoss and the death of their classmate Joseph Behm. The chapter opens with the company at rest after heavy losses, and the men discuss the war, their disillusionment, and the fate of their comrade Franz Kemmerich, who is dying in a field hospital.
Themes in this chapter
The Lost Generation
The young soldiers, like Paul and his classmates, are disillusioned and cut off from their former lives, embodying the lost generation.
Critique of Authority and Militarism
The men resent the arbitrary cruelty of figures like Himmelstoss and the blind patriotism preached by Kantorek.
Characters to notice
- Paul Bäumer
Narrator and protagonist; reflects on the loss of innocence and the influence of Kantorek.
- Katczinsky
A resourceful and experienced soldier who provides guidance and food for the men.
- Albert Kropp
A classmate and friend of Paul; thoughtful and critical of the war.
- Corporal Himmelstoss
The harsh training corporal who tormented the recruits before they went to the front.
- Franz Kemmerich
A wounded comrade whose leg is amputated; he is dying in the field hospital.
Key passages
“We are not youth any longer. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces.”
We are no longer young; we have lost our youthful ambition. We are running away from ourselves and our former lives. At eighteen, we loved life, but war forced us to destroy it.
Paul reflects on the loss of youth and innocence caused by the war.
“Kemmerich is dead. He died this morning.”
Kemmerich died this morning.
The death of Franz Kemmerich marks the first major loss among Paul's close friends.