Character Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front

This extract is important in exposing the true realities of war, unmasking the horrific conditions of trench life and the fragility of the human condition. It also highlights the absurdity of war and the lengths soldiers go to in order to distract themselves from the apprehension of an imminent bombardment which torments the characters for the entirety of the play.
The tight demanding structure of the three Acts with a plot which requires for most of the time a sense that nothing is happening clearly signifies how Sheriff wants the audience to understand just how tense the prolonged waiting was. The dialogue between Hardy and Osbourne instigates the concerns of the “big German attack” which has been “expected for the last month”. The pre-modifier …show more content…
The severe deal of action is conveyed by the short but blunt sentence they “Simply blew us to bits”. The plosive “b” highlights the brutality of the action and the ease of deaths. Also the time frame of “yesterday” reflects how the onslaught is relentless which foreshadows the chaos to come at the denouement of the play. It’s also foreshadowed when Hardy claims “You’ll get it- right in the neck.” The harsh action verb “get” is blunt and direct highlighting the severity of the situation contrasting to the jokes in the fact that it is “no game”. The onomatopoeia in the dialogue “Swish- swish- swish-swish- BANG!” draws the senses together, evoking the reality through the sinister sibilance of the “s” depicting the ongoing relentless nature of war and the impending doom. The hyperbolic exaggeration that there is “two million” rats highlights the unhygienic aspect of the trenches but also how a common occurrence becomes a mere formality. However he “doesn’t see them all” suggesting that out of choice he ignores them to make life seem more bearable or that perhaps it is simply too dark in the dugouts to see

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Character Analysis: All Quiet On The Western Front