Wednesday, February 19, 2014

AQOTWF Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Intro to Characters

Tjaden
  • Locksmith, nineteen years old, very thin-but a big eater
Müller
  • Carries school textbooks, talks about physics during bombardments, nineteen years old
Stanislaus Katczinsky
  • Leader of the group, shrewd, cunning, forty years old
Albert Kropp
  • Clear thinker, lance-corporal, nineteen years old
Leer
  • Wears a full beard and enjoys officer’s brothels, nineteen years old
Paul Bäumer
  • Main character, narrator of the story, nineteen years old
Haie Westhus
  • Peat-digger, nineteen years old
Detering
  • Peasant farmer, married
Kemmerich
  • Injured and dying at St. Joseph’s
Himmelstoss
  • mean Corporal that no one likes
Heinrich
  • Sergeant-cook, called a carrot or Ginger because of his red hair

What's Going On...

  • Story is focused on the men of The Second Company
  • Starts out the story five miles behind the front
  • Relieved the day before, and discussing the double rations (food) they’ve received (150 men were supposed to return, but only 80 survived)Beef, haricot beans, sausage, bread, tobacco
  • Receive mail and head to meadow after eating; sitting on individual portable toilets vs. the common latrine for two hours… Find this pleasurable
  • Reflect on how Kantorek convinced them to enlist and glorified the war
    • Believed he was helping guide them, but instead misled them
  • Also play “skat” while sitting there (cards) on a margarine lid, then proceed to napping
  • They go to see Kemmerich while he’s dying, Mueller wants his boots


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