In All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria has been a very descriptive and detailed book so far. It has shown the sides of world war I from a German soldiers perspective: Paul Baumer. He is fighting in the trenches on the front line along and is in the second company along with some friends he went to school with; Leer, Kropp and Muller. He is acquainted with the soldiers Haie and Tjaden as well. The leader is Katczinsky who is quite a bit older than the others. One of the conflicts that has arisen is how the company is dealing with war. There is the physical part of war (Lack of sleep, tough on the body, being shot or bombed) that they are struggling to deal with at first, but the emotions that war has brought is the main conflict. When Paul’s friend Franz dies, Paul is very distraught has a hard time dealing with his loss. Also, Paul has a hard time acknowledging the fact that his outlook on life will be forever changed after war if he survives.

I have mixed feelings about the book. I find the storyline very interesting and the events of the book are very unpredictable which I like also. I think the author could make the book more exciting and action packed, but I think the author was really trying to capture the true essence of war. A lot of the day to day life in the trenches was waiting around, so that is what the book pertains. I am excited to see what happens next and how the characters react.