What happened in chapter 4 of All Quiet on the Western Front?

Paul crawls under an uncovered coffin for protection. Kat shakes him from behind to tell him to put his gas mask on. After he dons his mask, Paul helps a new recruit put his on. He then dives into a hole created by an exploding shell, reasoning that shells seldom hit the same place twice.

Why does detering claim it is the vilest baseness to use horses in the war?

Detering feels that the horses’ deaths are senseless, and believes it is “the vilest baseness to use horses in war.” It’s important to note that earlier, Paul compared the soldiers to animals, but here, the horses are almost humanized in their suffering, and their fate causes the soldiers terrible anguish.

What do Kat and Paul almost do to the new recruit with the hip wound?

As with the horses, Kat suggests they shoot the young recruit and put him out of his misery, because Kat knows what the young man will go through in his final days if they don’t. Paul agrees, but before they can shoot him other soldiers arrive, so they must get a stretcher and call for a medic.

How is the soldiers predicament ironic when they seek shelter during the second bombardment?

How is the soldiers’ predicament an example of situational irony when they seek shelter during the second bombardment? You think they are already safe and on their way back, but suddenly there are shots again. What argument does Paul use to justify his decision with Kat to put the fair-headed recruit out of his misery?

What do the horses symbolize in All Quiet on the Western Front?

In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque uses horses and butterflies to represent how war forces soldiers to conceal their emotions, which protects him from the brutal experiences of war. The Horses represent the soldiers and their emotions that they carefully hide.

What does no man’s land symbolize in All Quiet on the Western Front?

But every aspect of No Man’s Land requires the solider to focus on survival, and only survival. Every broken tree, muddied crater, and bombed-out building reminds us that death is an ever-present danger—death of the soldiers, death of nature, death of everything.

What do Kemmerich’s boots symbolize?

Kemmerich’s Boots Kemmerich’s high, supple boots are passed from soldier to soldier as each owner dies in sequence. Paul brings them to Müller after Kemmerich dies and inherits them himself when Müller is shot to death later in the novel. In this way, the boots represent the cheapness of human life in the war.

What job did the dying Kemmerich want to have after the war?

Having discovered the amputation of his leg, Kemmerich fears that he will die without achieving his ambition to become a head-forester. Paul, who observes Kemmerich’s childlike nature, regrets his friend’s impending death and vainly tries to encourage Kemmerich to return to Klosterberg for convalescence.

Who does Paul try to carry to safety?

At the end of the book, Kat sustains a minor injury—shrapnel in his leg—and Paul carries him to the safety of a medic. Unfortunately, Kat sustains another injury—shrapnel in his brain—while Paul is carrying him and dies almost instantly.

What do Paul and Kat wish to do for him why don’t they do it?

What do Paul and Kat wish to do for him? To put him out of his misery – shoot him, just as Detering wanted to do to the horses (again emphasizes the loss of their humanity and animal instincts). Why don’t they do it? Others begin to gather around as they appear from the trenches.

What happened after the bombardment?

After the bombardment, a wave of attacking soldiers advanced on the enemy trenches. The result was an ever-growing collection of bodies in No Man’s Land, the space between the trenches that neither army controlled.

What punishment is Tjaden given for not obeying Himmelstoss’s order?

Himmelstoss tells Tjaden to stand up and salute; Tjaden refuses to obey, even after being threatened with a court-martial. Himmelstoss stomps off. Kat intones that the penalty will be at least five days’ “close arrest” (jail).