ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – STUDY QUESTIONS.doc

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 1 Where are the men “at rest”? Why is there such an abundance of rations? Who is the narrator? How old is he? Identify the following: Tjaden Albert Kropp Muller Leer Haie Westhus Stanislaus Katczinsky Detering What is symbolic about Leer’s name? Why do the men feel hostile toward Ginger? What is unusual about the latrine facilities? What has changed about these men? What is a “latrine rumour”? Who is Kantorek? Why does Muller wish Kantorek were there? What different attitudes about war were held by the “poor and simple” and those who were “better off”? What is the double horror of Behm’s death? What is Muller’s plan for Kemmerich’s boots? Do you think this is cruel? What does the theft of Kemmerich’s watch tell us about the moral decay fostered by war? What is the mood/atmosphere of Chapter 1? Although the novel is told from the German point-of-view, what universal view does it offer of war? Why is Kantorek wrong in referring to these young men as “Iron Youth”? Why is Paul bitter in his feelings toward Kantorek? ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 2 1. Why does Paul refer to his generation as a “waste land”? 2. Who is Corporal Himmelstoss? 3. What prejudice does Paul have against small men? Why? 4. How do Paul and Kropp get revenge on Himmelstoss? 5. According to Paul, what is the finest thing to arise from the war? 6. What makes Kemmerich’s death so personal for Paul? 7. What is significant about Kemmerich’s telling Paul to take the boots for Muller? 8. What is the great hunger Paul feels after Kemmerich’s death? 9. Describe the character of Paul from what you have learned in the first two chapters. 10. Kemmerich’s death illustrates part of the central message of the novel. Do you have an idea of what this message is? ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – STUDY QUESTIONS Chapter 3 Why is it ironic that Paul and his comrades refer to themselves as “stone-age veterans” when they