Soldiers had to get rid of their innocence in order to survive. “Yes, that’s the way they think, these hundred thousand Kantoreks! Iron Youth! Youth! We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk.” [pg. 27] Paul Baumer, our narrator, learns to loose innocence very quickly when many of the people around him die. “Comrade, I did not want to kill you” [pg. 237] But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response.” [pg. 237] “Forgive me comrade; how could you be my enemy?” [pg. 237] Paul mumbled these words to a French soldier whom he was just killed with a dagger. After killing this man Paul realizes many things, war is forcing men to create enemies with other men and fight each other. Paul is now fully soaked into the mist of war. His instincts have changed drastically during the war. Paul wouldn’t have stabbed the French soldier when it was the beginning of the war. Now he has lost his innocence to keep himself
Soldiers had to get rid of their innocence in order to survive. “Yes, that’s the way they think, these hundred thousand Kantoreks! Iron Youth! Youth! We are none of us more than twenty years old. But young? Youth? That is long ago. We are old folk.” [pg. 27] Paul Baumer, our narrator, learns to loose innocence very quickly when many of the people around him die. “Comrade, I did not want to kill you” [pg. 237] But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response.” [pg. 237] “Forgive me comrade; how could you be my enemy?” [pg. 237] Paul mumbled these words to a French soldier whom he was just killed with a dagger. After killing this man Paul realizes many things, war is forcing men to create enemies with other men and fight each other. Paul is now fully soaked into the mist of war. His instincts have changed drastically during the war. Paul wouldn’t have stabbed the French soldier when it was the beginning of the war. Now he has lost his innocence to keep himself