2 Books, 3 Responses. War.

All Quiet on the Western Front

The main character so far is the narrator of the book. Paul Baümer, the main character, joined the army with a group of his friends. He is a very transparent narrator and really conveys the emotions of the people around him. The first part of the book got me to really care about the characters because of the intimate emotional relationship between them. In the second chapter, when Kemmerich dies, Paul really becomes emotionally inflicted by the health of his friend, trying to get both Kemmerich and himself to believe that Kemmerich will become healthy and be able to go home. All of the characters are familiar with eachother from past experiences, so each encounter is personal for each character.

The conflict in the story is the feelings each soldier has towards the war. Paul at the beginning of the novel seems very torn. He talks about the war with nostalgia, about the bonds made between those who joined and the way they lived behind enemy lines, while he sometimes slips into the cynacism and sadness normally associated with war. I feel like this conflict will not be resolved and that the central idea of the book is the torn feelings towards battle in general.

All Quiet on the Western Front
(2nd Response)

The characters in this book have gone through a jaded transformation. When they entered the army, they were hopeful that the world had much to give them and that service would lead them to understand new things about life. Once they had become experienced to the grotesque nature of battle, they suddenly realized that life had nothing in store for them; the world seemed like such a terrible place to them. The front lines really caused them to change because they see men turn into cowards and military prospectives become hallowed and frightened by the normal explosions and gunfire. I can’t really relate to these characters only because I have not been in such a war.
The outcome of the story is going to be the characters leaving the army in one peace; the greatest curse of all. In the beginning of the book, there is a quote about how those who survived the war really died inside. Paul, the main character, continually becomes jaded throughout the novel and sees horrors that no young adult should really see. Once he leaves the army in a time of “peace,” he will not have the desire to do anything with his life and never really will live.

All Quiet on the Western Front

(3rd Response)

Personally, I cannot find any change to my life because of this book, but I do begin to understand the plight of the enlisted man. I have never been in the army and avoid it at all costs and this book seemed to justify my reasoning. Throughout the book, the main character Paul talks about how the men who are fighting in this war have nothing against one another and nothing to gain for themselves. I really liked the writing in this book and the anecdotes were emotionally intense but I didn’t like how depressing the book was as well as the fact that the main character had the tendancy to drone about the sadness associated with war. I would recommend this book to others for the sole fact that it is an enjoyable novel that has a very strong emotional tie to the human plight in warfare, but it is definitely not an optimistic book.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

So far the main characters are very mysterious. The main character is a man named Robert James; he is an American who is fluent in Spanish and is fighting on the side of the Republic against the Fascist government. His job is to blow up a bridge that will prevent reinforcements from arriving. Robert is a very quiet character, who only does what he needs to do, thinks about the things he is not supposed to think about and trusts no one. I like his logic as a character, but I would find it tough to like him as a person; he doesn't seem like the kind of person I would want to be around.

On the other hand, another main character is Anselmo, an strong old man who is Robert's tour guide. Anselmo is kind and likable, while he provides a strong base for Robert's mission. He knows what he is doing, but does not distrust others like Roberto.

The conflict in the story could very well be the fact that Roberto is an American fighting in Spain. He is in a war against a fascist power and technically has no bias; but he has very tough responsibilities put on his shoulder. Roberto must gain the trust of whoever he fights for, and be able to do what he needs to do, as well as keep himself sane in the forever battleground he is in.

For Whom The Bell Tolls
(2nd Response)

The characters have all become a lot more intertwined since the first third of the book. Robert Jordan has started a relationship with the working girl Mary, while he is starting to doubt his place on the Republican side. Robert Jordan originally joined the Republican side to help fight the fascist government but is soon figuring out that he doesn’t agree with the side he’s fighting on. His existence in this book is starting to question the saying, “An enemy of my enemy is a friend.” He sees that their morays are incorrect, and that all of the resistance relies on the idea that they can live in the hills forever.

I definitely understand Robert Jordan’s plight. I have joined a cause many times in my life only to find that I didn’t know what I’ve signed up for. It’s almost as if I understand how Robert Jordan feels disappointed that his expectations were blown out of proportion. I feel that the rest of this story will have to do with Robert Jordan trying to get out of his position in the conflict.

For Whom The Bell Tolls
(3rd Response)

By the end of the book, the message of this book is quite apparent: just because you share intentions with a cuase doesn’t mean that everything about the cause is perfect. In the book, Robert Jordan left his post at a college, risking his American citizenship only to find that the “Republicans” are just another group of vicious, yet cowardly Communist torturers. Additionally, every character in the book is mentally ravaged by the war- Maria by those who raped her, Robert Jordan through his distaste of communism, Pablo in his dissapation of his resistant emotions.

I really liked this book, not only because of the lush writing and intelligent themes, but the underlying messages that made this book more relevant than All Quiet On The Western Front. The messages (about suicide, war, human emotions) have to deal with how people interact in the modern world as well as how they hurt the people currently in war. I felt a lot more emotional connection to the characters in this book than All Quiet and the writing was incredible.