The point of view in the novel is quite interesting. Paul is a German soldier who enlists in World War I after being lured by his schoolmaster’s rhetoric on patriotism and loyalty to country. As an American reading this book are you at all affected by the nationality of the main character? Do you lack sympathy for the main character because you are American? How do you think Germany felt about having this novel read by fellow Germans? Discuss the nationality and point of view of Paul. Do these aspects contribute to the novel’s success or does it dissuade people from reading it? Or, does this novel take a “human” point of view?
