Remarque showed how for many soldier’s no one could understand what went on in the front lines back home. “It is not possible to portray emotional reality in words. Remarque describes how people who have not experienced war cannot understand war; he does this through his treat- ment of civilians in the novel, particularly when Paul is at home on leave:
Suddenly my Mother seizes hold of my hand and asks falteringly: “Was it very bad out there Paul?”.
Mother, what should I answer to that! You would not understand, you could never realise it. And you never shall realise it.” One of Paul’s friends in his company named Detering developed problems due to the fact he couldn’t let go of the past. He thought about his farm, his wife, and the blossom tree he had which eventually lead him to desert. No one knows if he survived or got caught and shot by a provost. Unlike Detering hunt explains that Paul and the others are not looking back; they are living through the traumatic experi- ence of war. Remarque wrote All Quiet On the Western Front to depict the brutality of war, show the psychological and traumatic stress soldiers faced and the effect it had on them and how they changed. The book was banned and burned in Nazi Germany for promoting anti-war sentiment. This book helped in showing the true nature of the war and why future was should be