Another great discussion about the novel - All Quiet on the Western Front.
We covered chapter 4 today, and how it relates to our themes of "Fraternity as a Saving Grace," "Detached Authority," and the "dehumanization of Modern Warfare."
Fraternity:
We talked about how Paul is characterized as a nurturing "brother" figure in combat, and we also discussed the "authority" at the Front: the commanding officers are not present in/around the combat, so the troops create their own hierarchy. In this hierarchy, the troops rely on their sense of brotherhood to look out for each-other and stay alive.
Authority:
The eldest troops take the youngest under their "wings" during the first bombardment - Paul helped protect the New Recruit character, who was so terrified during his first bout with combat that he lost control of his bodily functions. We discussed Kat as a primary authority figure at the Front, and we decided that his authority is driven by compassion and brotherhood, not by exerting his power over people.
We also discussed Paul's view of the Earth as a protective mother-figure for the soldiers, one which protects them in her natural surroundings.
Dehumanization:
We discussed Paul's monologue that paints the picture of a soldier as an animal - someone who has been taken over by animal instinct. The boys are no longer 19-year-olds, but trained animals that sense danger, and know how to survive. We also discussed the use of Mustard Gas in war, as well as the "distance combat" that the soldiers faced in WWI. All of these forces strip the soldiers of their humanity and force them to become animalistic, non-thinking members of the Iron Youth, as Kantorek called them.
HW: Read Ch 5 and work on Reading Logs.
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