At the end of
his work about characters in World War I, All Quiet on the Western Front,
Erich Maria Remarque's character Paul remarks,
Had we
returned hom in 1916, out of the suffering and the strength of our experience we might have
unleashed a storm. Now, if we go back we will be weary, broken, burnt out, ruthless, and without
hope. We will not be able to find our way anymore.
Having written this story not long after World War I,captures this sense of loss of
values and aimlessness and isolation in the "lost generation" of post World War I. In
a dialogue that is without much emotion and sensitivity the American speaks dispassionately
about the girl's pregnancy. He wants no complications, for he is weary, without hope. He can
find no way for his relationship if it becomes complicated, and so there is no decision made by
the girl and the American.
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