All Quiet On The Western Front: "The Cause Of Death"

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the loss of
Paul's innocence.

The change from idealism to disillusionment is really the driving
force behind the novel. From young school boys, listening to their
schoolmaster asking "Won't you join up comrades?"(11) to "weary,
broken"(294) men, idealism and disillusionment play a major role on Paul's
decisions and thoughts. For example, on the second page of the novel,
Paul says, "It would not be such a bad war if only one could get a little
more sleep." (2) Later in the book, a disillusioned Paul says of the same
war, "I see how people are set against one another and in silence,
unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another."(263)
Even though he has been in the war two years, the first quote shows how
Paul's idealism is still strong. In the second quote, Paul sees the war
for what it truly is, a waste of time, food, money, and young men. The
scar of war left a deep gash in the mind of Paul Baumer.

The loss of Paul's friends was a factor ...

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