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In the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus argues that “one must imagine Sisyphus happy” (123), who is condemned by the gods to repeatedly roll a boulder up and down a hill for eternity. Camus uses the Greek legend as a metaphor for the individual’s continuous struggle against the absurdity of life. According to Camus, one must accept the absurdity and in doing so will gain individual clarity and happiness. However, as Remarque presents it, happiness cannot possibly be achieved in this way. Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the young German soldier Paul Baumer’s endless struggles in World War I, from his training to his death on the battlefield. Despite Baumer, acknowledging his new reality of war on the front, he does not gain the same clarity or happiness Camus speaks of. But instead concludes that life is meaningless. Remarque attributes this to the romanticized picture of war in society back home, the dehumanization the soldiers undergo, and the destructive mindset taught during training. One could argue that soldiers can retain happiness through the intense bonds of loyalty and friendship. However, apart from these relationships, there is still evidence of unhappiness in the soldier’s lives due to the lack of mental separation from the war.
The soldier’s experience upon returning home from World War I, specifically Baumer’s, highlights the repercussions of romanticizing war for not only the citizens but also the soldiers within the society. Baumer experiences the misconceptions firsthand when running into his German master along the street; “You look well, Paul, and fit. Naturally it’s worse here. Naturally. The best for our soldiers every time” (Remarque 166). Even though Baumer’s view of the war has changed since enlisting, he soon realizes the rest of society still has the notion of nationalism and glory when it comes to the war. This misconception that soldiers are being fed the best and the war experience is nothing but empowering, sets the standards for all soldiers. However, these standards set in place only prevent soldiers like Baumer from connecting with their families and society. Even within his own home Baumer expresses to his family that “a sense of strangeness will not leave” and there “is a distance, a veil between us” (Remarque 160). For soldiers, it is nearly impossible to leave the war behind, but now due to the romanticization, it becomes harder than ever for the soldiers to assimilate back into society. Baumer argues that he “would like to be here too and forget the war; but also it repels me, it is so narrow, how can that fill a man’s life” (Remarque 169). Baumer’s disconnect from his society and confusion as to what could give him purpose further illustrate the soldier’s unhappiness and inability to obtain clarity.
All Quiet on the Western Front is set among soldiers fighting on the front, one of Remarque’s main points is how the dehumanization of war can cause soldiers to discount the simplicities of life including happiness. As opposed to heroes, the soldiers are described and treated as nothing more than replaceable and generic. While at the hospital “The doctor passes by Kemmerich’s bed without once looking at him” (Remarque 27). Being treated with care and precision is thought to be a basic human right among many. However, in this instance, Kemmerich is not even given the bare minimum of treatment since he is considered no longer useful in the war. This further continues with Baumer confronting the doctor; “How should I know anything about it, I’ve amputated five legs today” (Remarque 32). To the doctor, death has become normalized in a way that he is unable to express any emotions towards Kemmerich or Baumer, who is experiencing this grief for the first time. As Kemmerich begins to die, the argument of who will get his boots arises and without hesitation Muller claims them. Baumer states that the men “have lost all sense of other considerations because they are artificial. Only the facts are real and important for us” (Remarque 21). Like other soldiers, the war has shaped these men’s perspectives from valuing emotions to completely disregarding them. Unfortunately, Remarque illustrates that nearly all soldiers undergo this dehumanization. After years of being in the war, Baumer claims that “It has transformed us into unthinking animals to give us the weapon of instinct- it has reinforced us with dullness” (Remarque 273-274). Remarque emphasizes how the only way for soldiers to survive is to detach themselves from their minds and humanity. However, without these how are soldiers supposed to come by emotions let alone happiness?
Towards the beginning of the novel, Remarque introduces the idea that the mindset taught during the war contributes just as much to the soldier’s inability to obtain happiness. The front line is depicted by Baumer as “a matter of habit” (Remarque 138) which is defined as a settled tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. Remarque chooses this description to highlight the relationship between the soldiers and the front line. Apart from the soldier’s instinct, the relationship was based on the information passed down from previous soldiers and higher commands. To survive soldiers are instructed to suppress their emotions and accept the conditions of their lives. In doing so, the front line becomes a “matter of habit”. One in which soldiers find it nearly impossible to forget and separate from. This relationship of habit also prevents the soldiers from progressing. Baumer illustrates this when stating “We had no definite plans for our future. Our thoughts of a career and occupation were as yet of too unpractical a character to furnish any scheme of life” (Remarque 21). By only focusing on the war, the soldiers are unable to move forward with their lives and obtain happiness apart from their traumatic experiences. In addition to suppressing emotions, the soldiers became “hard, suspicious, pitiless, vicious, tough- and that was good; for these attributes were just what we lacked” (Remarque 26). This made killing easier and more impersonal, but it also came with a price. Soldiers had to change their personalities to fit the custom and in doing so also lost a part of their identity. Not only was this form of thinking destructive but it also caused a lot of mental unhappiness for the soldiers.
One could argue that the soldiers obtain happiness through the intense bonds of loyalty and friendship that form as a result of the shared experience of war. Baumer elaborates on his experience with Kat stating, “We don’t talk much, but I believe we have a more complete communion with one another than even lovers have” (Remarque 94). Unlike the other people back home, Kat has gone through the same devastating dehumanization and traumatic experiences Baumer has. Thus, he does not feel the pressure to maintain the standards of a soldier, nor does he have to control his emotions. With soldiers, Baumer does not have to discuss the front. However, people in the rest of the society such as Baumer’s father are “curious in a way” (Remarque 165) that he finds “stupid and distressing” (Remarque 165). Unable to discuss his war experiences, Baumer soon discovers a disconnect with both his family members and society. But it is within this soldier-to-soldier relationship that men such as Baumer and Kat can find happiness and clarity. On the other hand, one could conclude that apart from these moments of communion with fellow soldiers, there is still evidence of unhappiness in the soldiers’ lives due to the lack of mental separation from the war. After returning to his hometown, Baumer depicts the front as a curse that “reaches so far that we never pass beyond it” (Remarque 121). The word curse implies that the soldiers are bound to the war experience and thus never able to separate from it. Remarque further conveys this idea with reoccurring flashbacks from the front. When walking the streets in his hometown Baumer recalls “the muffled noise of shelling” (Remarque 121). The place that once provided him with familiarity and security is now a reminder of his past and a place filled with uncertainty.
According to Camus, one must accept the absurdity and in doing so will gain individual clarity and happiness. On the other hand, Remarque argues happiness cannot possibly be achieved in this way. Despite Baumer, acknowledging his new reality of war on the front, he does not gain the same clarity or happiness Camus speaks of. But instead concludes that life is meaningless. Remarque attributes this unhappiness to the romanticized picture of war in society back home, the dehumanization the soldiers undergo, and the destructive mindset taught during training. Some may argue that soldiers obtain happiness through the intense bonds of loyalty and friendship. However, Remarque makes it clear that apart from these moments of communion with fellow soldiers, there is still evidence of unhappiness in the soldiers’ lives due to the lack of mental separation from the war.
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