Trench Journal- Literary Analysis (Ch 4)

Paul and his friends are sent to set up barbed wire.

Paul reflects on Kat's prediction of a bombardment and how the war has made them develop a second sight.

The bombardment starts and a recruit seeks help and shelter from Paul and the recruit soils himself.

The bombardment stops but some horses were hurt and cry out in pain and Detering wants to put them out of their misery but can't.

Some soldiers kill the horses because their cries tormented the troops.

The troops return to the lorries (large trucks) to return to the huts. Kat wishes he was at home (meaning the huts).

The bombardment starts again and the troops rush into a graveyard for shelter. The graveyard is torn up and coffins and bodies are flung everywhere. Then gas is released and Paul put on his gas mask and gets in a ditch with Kat, Kropp, and the recruit.

Kat and Paul consider killing the recruit who has no chance of surviving his injuries but don't because other soldiers arrive with a stretcher.

Paul falls asleep on the trucks on the way back.



Paul must feel, first of all, tired, and also concerned for the young recruit and his suffering. He might also feel worried or confused about how the war has changed him.

"We have to go on wiring fatigue" (Remarque 51).

Fatigue- Manual or menial labor, such as barracks cleaning, assigned to soldiers.

"The motor lorries roll up after dark"(Remarque 51).

Lorry-a motor truck, esp. a large one.


The first World War caused Germany to use new technology to attack both civilian and military ships in order to harm other countries. This cartoon is headed "Out of the Depths" and shows a giant skeleton in a German soldier's uniform rising out of the sea. The skeleton is holding a trident with the ship the Lusitania speared on the end. This refers to the sinking of the ship Lusitania on May 7, 1915 when it was attacked by a German U-boat. The skeleton is holding a trident, Poseidon's symbol. This is to say that the Germans are able to rule the sea by using their U-boats, making them an intimidating opponent. The German's used these U-boats to sinks many ships of their enemies military or not. The U-boats gave the Germans' a formidable navy.


In this chapter I learned that war is destructive and doesn't restrain itself from obliterating sacred areas. I also learned that without friendship, fighting in the war would be even more hazardous and traumatic than it already is.