Erich Maria Note, All Quiet in the Western Front expresses the emotions and physical states that soldiers experience during battle. The novel illustrates the great struggle that Paul, a young soldier voluntarily enlisted in the war, must go through to survive. Eager and ready to join Paul, he sees the horror of war. In contrast, Joseph Boyden tells the story of two best friends who join the war and become professional snipers. Elijah and Xavier, from an indigenous culture, Xavier strictly follows his indigenous beliefs while Elijah loses knowledge of his origin and adapts to white culture. Elijah gets lost in drugs and becomes Windigo, committing numerous murders to gain the respect and name of the best sniper. The book deals with drug addiction and best friends going their separate ways. Both novels address themes of trauma caused by death, the breakdown of friendships, and change within a character in order to survive. Both novels show the detrimental effects that war can have on a soldier. The soldiers suffer emotional and physical effects that cause them to transform into animals and lose the humanity within themselves. In All Quiet in the Western Front, a major role displayed by Paul is the traumatic effects that arise from the experience of death. To begin with, Paul joins voluntarily by allowing himself to be seduced by nationalist ideas. Not thinking about the real effects and consequences that may occur, but rather adhering to the idea of ​​heroism. Witness the scary tasks that must be completed and the comrades who fall to their death. This is seen after fighting on the battlefield and seeing young men die. In addition to the violence that these soldiers experience in their own filth and in appalling conditions, he has...... middle of paper... as a reason to return home, confused and alone. Paul's decision was his alone toward freedom. See how the new recruits will follow the same path and return as walking corpses. After years of service in the war, Paul sits peacefully in the trenches, gets shot, and as he dies, his expression is one of relief at no longer having to endure pain and suffering. After witnessing so much murder and the fall of humanity, Paul dies a peaceful death. Ultimately, Paul, being a young man going to war, took his life physically and mentally. Paul goes through miserable states during the war, leading him to depression, pain and suffering. canalysis.html http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/themes.htmlhttp://www.sparknotes.com/lit/allquiet/section6.rhtml