Insticncts in all quiet in the western front

“Only thus were we prepared for what awaited us. We did not break down, but adapted ourselves; our twenty years, which made many another thing so grievous, helped us in this. But by far the most important result was that it awakened in us a strong, practical sense of esprit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of the war—comradeship.“ 

-Excerpt From, All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque

     Instincts have been what has kept the human race alive from the dawn of time. If not for instincts in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, there will be a lot more death. In chapter four, during the assault from the British and French, the main characters use their instincts to save their lives, and the lives of others through the first couple chapters times.

   For instance, when the bombs start dropping on them while they travel back to the lorries, their instincts tell them that the graveyard is their only cover, even though from a different perspective you might think the graveyard would be too dangerous. They also use their instincts while the bombing is happening, like when the main character rolls into a fresh crater from a shell, or when he climbs out of the hole when the gas comes around. If they didn’t move away from their bunker, they would have all blown up, but their instincts told them they had to leave. These decisions made when under a lot of stress and pressure which are the instincts that keep them alive.

    I feel that the authors use of instinct reflects quite a few things in this book. It shows how in war every second is a battle and if not for their own instincts many more of their comrades in the war would end up dead or worse. The other thing the authors use of instincts reflects how war turns men into their most primal state. Showing us what they are really made of.

   In its most basic state, this book provides an interesting a thought, provoking and stimulating chance to think about the instincts of man. And the effects their instincts have on their lives and others.