September 28 AQOTWF

Chapter 2

Main characters of the chapter

Paul Baumer

Franz Kemmerich

Fredrich Muller

Himmelstoss

Paul is thinking about back home and how he can no longer go back to that life because he is a changed person.  He and the other young soldiers cannot return to their lifestyle; like the older men can back to their families. Paul has missed an important piece of his life and thus feels disconnected with his home world. He feels he has learned more in his time in the military than all his years in school.  Paul has completely lost touch with his feeling about the outside world. As a result he does not know what will happen in his future because war has become his life.

Paul introduces Himmelstoss into the story as a power hungry little man who must be show his authority. Paul remembers how he and three others from his class were put into the same platoon, and how Himmelstoss did not like them because Paul and others were resistant to him. Paul thinks back to the time when he punched Himmelstoss because of how angry he had become at one point. After getting knocked out Himmelstoss reported it to the company commander and when he heard of it he laughed and made a remark that left Himmelstoss even angrier.

Knowing that Kemmerich was going to die Muller was trying to persuade him to get the boots. Paul sits next to Franz and talks to him trying to persuade Franz that he will be fine as he slowly dies. He describes how the process has changed his appearance; no longer looking like a healthy boy. Franz dies after crying knowing his fate and that things would be different even if he survived, and then he passed. Baumer describes the death as more personal than others that he has experienced so far in the war. He brings the boots back for Muller with the permission of Franz. He does not know what to tell the mother but a lie about his death after she asked Paul to protect him. Paul returns to the camp running for relief with his fellow soldiers.