Erich Maria Remarque in All Quiet on the Western Front shows of us of the terrifying moments in war and how the men survive through it. The important scene that struck me was when a man named Behm was the first person to be killed. Paul recalls his schoolmaster, Kantorek, a fiercely patriotic man who persuaded many of Paul’s friends to enlist as volunteers to prove their patriotism. Joseph Behm, one such young man, was hesitant but eventually gave in to Kantorek’s unrelenting pressure. It struck to me when Behm had been struck "in the eye during an attack, and [they] left him lying for dead" (12). They retreated back to their shelter and later saw that Behm regain conscious and had not yet died. However they could not help rescue him and "saw him crawling about in No Man's Land", shot down and killed before there eyes. The boys had a " and idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in [their minds] with a greater insight and a more humane wisdom" (12). Once they saw the first death of someone they once knew, it "shattered this belief" (12). They realized that their generation is to be trusted rather the older generation. What I believe that connects to this scene and in general the entire book is the song "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire. This songs represents to me about growing up and losing the optimism of a younger life. Something inside us dies, and we become shells just chasing after survival. The lyrics brings imagery of the scene, "our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up" (11) relates to Paul, Leer, Müller, and Kropp where they continue to experience death in the war which ends up to scar their hearts inside and change the views and ideal in their mind. When their friend Behm that was in their sight crawling away to live he was shot down because he was not able to keep under cover. "Now that I'm older, My heart's colder, And I can see that it's a lie" (4-6). This brings to the case where as they get older the things in life they encounter continue to build up. When Behm died a realization struck them and from then on believed that what the older generation had been telling them, where in their case was Kantorek had all been a lie. They begin to create a hate deep inside where they were "taught that duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we already [know] that death-throes are stronger" (13). The boys although they love their country no person did not fear death. "We're just a million little god's causin' rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust" (12-13). This shows of the war they are currently in and how the people involve just continue to kill one another until there is nothing left on the opposing side. All the little god's causing rain as the lyrics show represent each and every guy out there fighting in the war. How everything ends up in rust represents how in the end of the war all that is left is thousands of dead bodies and lost family. Paul and his fellow comrades are only at the age of eighteen, they have no war experience and did not know the horrors of war. People like
