Paul's definition of "home" changes throughout the course of All Quiet on the Western Front. At the beginning, Paul longs for home – his old home, the one where he grew up. Clean sheets. Mom's cooking. But he begins to sink deeper into the rhythm of the war. He questions whether he can ever return home and what home really means. Home no longer exists in a house – "home" to Paul becomes the Front.
Questions About Home
- What examples of "home" do we encounter in this novel?
- What is Paul's experience like when he goes to his family's house on leave? What happens?
- Do you think Paul can ever truly go "home" again?
- In what ways does the Front become Paul's home? Why is that?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Paul finds a home at the Front. It's the place where feels most alive on the Front, a place where he is closest to death.
The truest image of home comes when the soldiers create a paradise out of an abandoned town. Home is where one's family resides, and the soldiers are each other's family.