Remarque seeks to dispel the myth of war by providing an honest overview of what actually happened in the trenches on both sides during the conflict. There is a clear message that the war is neither glorious or honourable. The reasons why men enlisted were nationalism and patriotism, which were soon shown to be false and hollow. Remarque sets out to portray as it was actually experienced, replacing the picture of glory and heroism with fear, meaninglessness and bloodshed. The writer emphasises these aspects of the war and portrays the mind-numbing terror and savagery of war with a relentless focus on the physical and psychological damage it causes to Paul and his friends. At the end of the novel, almost every major character is dead, epitomizing the war's devastating effect on the generation of young...