Chapter 1 summary

Main Characters:
Narrorator-Paul Baumer
Protagonist-Paul Baumer
Classmates-Muller, Leer, Kropp

Chapter one opens the book with Paul Baumer the narrorator and his classmates and fellow soldiers fighter on the front lines during World War 1.  A unit of 150 men went out fighting and only 80 men returned after a  devastating hard attack during the last day.  On page two in All Quiet on the Western Front, it is stated that, "English heavies opened up on us with high-explosives, drumming ceaselessly on our position."  Once they moved back they settled down to get a good night of sleep, which does not happen very often.  Katczinsky states on page two, "It would not be such a bad war if only one could get a little more sleep."  At this point I think that these young men are realizing what strain the was is putting on them so early on and that this is going to be a long life changing enlistment for them.  The next morning once they had finally crawled out of their quarters they gathered at the cook-house.  The remaining were excited to eat all the food but the cook was only going to give out one serving each.  After a very heated argument the cook agrees to distribute all the food out.  At this early point in the book we see the relationship of authority taking place.  That at first the cook was going to let the remaining food go to waste instead of allowing more servings.  After eating the men settled down to rest, smoke, and play some cards to take their minds off of what was going on and what has happened.  Paul now thinking about his classmate Kemmerich who was wounded and now in the hospital with a wounded thigh and an amputated leg that he is not aware of.  The men think about all the ones who have already been killed and recall that they may have been pressured into the war by Kantorek.  They now despise Kantorek for pushing them into the army and exposing them to the horror of war.  At this point in the book I realized that authority was brought up again.  This time in the way that Kantorek was in authority of all the soldiers and they are blaming him because he was the one who influenced them to join.  After a while they went to the hospital to visit Kemmerich, where Muller realizes that Kemmerich has some nice boots.  Muller's boots are old, worn down, and give him blisters every time that he wears them.  They decide not to push the matter of the boots at the time instead decide to wait till Kemmerich dies and then steal them before the orderlies take them.  Chapter one brings us into the war aspect at a fast pace with deaths and hard times right from the beginning.