All Quiet on the Western Front

Passage Analysis: 216 - 229

1. Write a short essay analyzing the scene where Paul kills Gerard Duval. Use the following questions to help you analyze, but you may discuss other ideas about the passage and do not need to answer them all as long as you analyze in depth.

How does Paul change during the scene? How does this act of killing affect him? Why does it affect him so greatly when he has been in the war for years already? Why does he try to help Duval? Why does Paul say it "was mere drivelling nonsense that I talked out there in the shell hole" after he makes it safely back to his trench? How does Remarque's writing style contribute to the scene? Use quotations support your points.