Symbol: Boots
-“Though Müller would be delighted to have Kemmerich's boots, he is really quite as sympathetic as another who could not bear to think of such a thing for grief. He merely sees things clearly…We have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts are real and important for us. And good boots are scarce”
-”Muller reappears with a pair of airman's boots. They are fine english boots of soft, yellow leather which reach to the knees and lace up all the way-they are things to be coveted.” - “We all three have the same thought; even if he should get better, he would be able to use only one-they are no use to him. But as things are not it is a pity that they should stay here; the orderlies will of course grab them as soon as he is dead.
Theme: Comradeship
“Had we gone into the trenches without this period of training most of us would certainly have gone mad. 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 …show more content…
A powerful example of this theme can be seen when Paul loses his way to the trench and does not remember where he is and it is in that moment where he hears his comrades voice Kat and becomes filled with a feeling of calmness. Paul is filled with a new sense of purpose vowing that he is going to live not for him but for his friends. The symbol of the boots is shown in the scene of Kemmerich lying in the hospital with his newly amputated leg and Muller asking him if he would be willing to trade his boots. This shows that even though Muller, a friend of Kemmerich, understands that the possibility of him surviving is slim and that out on the Western Front a good pair of boots goes a long way, sometimes lasting longer than the soldiers