All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Stratégie presents disturbing images and symbols of war as it follows Paul Baumer, a young soldier, during the First World War. The constant bombardments and escaping war shells cause the soldier to sink into a barbaric war mindset. By using images and symbols to show how soldiers fall into the war mentality, the author creates a vivid picture of the many horrors of war and its mentality. A pair of boots represents one of the most profound symbols in Remarque's novel. The soldiers each pass the boots, owned by Kemmerich, to a new owner after the previous owner dies in combat. Even Kemmerich himself took the boots from the corpse of an aviator. As Kemmerich's deathbed approaches, Müller tries to own boots: "Although Müller would be delighted to have Kemmerich's boots, he is actually as sympathetic as anyone who could not bear to think of one such a thing out of sorrow. He just sees things clearly. If Kemmerich were able to use his boots, Müller would rather walk barefoot on the barbed wire than think about how to get them. But as things stand, the boots are not at all suitable for Kemmerich's situation, while Müller can make good use of them. Kemmerich will die; it doesn't matter who gets them. Why then would Müller not succeed them? He has more rights than a hospital nurse. When Kemmerich is dead, it will be too late. This is why Müller is already on the lookout” (Remark, 11). After Kemmerich's death, Paul takes the boots to Müller and later inherits them from Müller after being shot on the battlefield. The boots represent the animal qualities of life during war, as they prove more important to the soldiers than the life of a friend. The... middle of paper ...... be perceived: "I simply wanted to awaken the understanding of a generation which, more than all the others, had difficulty recovering from four years of death, of struggle , and terror, to the peaceful fields of labor and progress” (Eksteins) Although we will never understand the horror these soldiers experienced, Remarque's novel gives us a glimpse of this state of mind and forces us to be grateful for the life he lived. Works Cited Eksteins, Modris. Rites of Spring New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. Cited as “All Quiet on the Western Front as a Postwar Commentary.” , ed. All Quiet on the Western Front, Bloom's Guides New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom Facts, Inc. Web April 30, 2014 Note, Erich Maria and AW Wheen. Western Front Boston: Little, Brown, 1929. Print..