Fate In All Quiet On The Western Front

The way one views his or her setting can affect actions and thought processes greatly; for example, if the present situation seems hopeless, one’s decision-making abilities will be skewed, as he or she would believe there is nothing that could possibly be done to salvage the current state of affairs. The topic of discouragement and desperation influencing one’s outlook, as well as how it can or cannot affect the course of action, is explored heavily in Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet On The Western Front through the central character, Paul Baümer, and how his outward view of his state during his time on the western front in World War I affected the course of his story. There are parts of his story in which Paul is hopeful for the future, and sees an end to his current bad situation, but there are also parts in which all he sees in his future is seemingly inexorable suffering and then death. The decisions and choices he makes during these time periods of optimistic, hopeful sanguinity and ultimate despair and despondency alter the course of his story; however, the idea of fate would interfere with this idea. the concept of fate dictates that this trajectory, although not exactly linear, is predetermined. This predetermination is a negative one - that of Paul’s doom being at the end of the line since the beginning of the novel. The idea of fate explored in this novel is an important subject as it is the reason the book’s course runs the way it does. It is also so important because if fate is in play in the story of …show more content…
On first reading of the first parts of the novel, It is tough to tell what the outcome will be for Paul, but as the story progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that Paul’s destiny is death. Upon retrospection as well, it is easy to tell that from the start of the novel Paul was doomed for