To what extent does the literature of the First World War describe a search for normality despite the fact that the war brought back question “civilized values” 'Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayFor many who participated in the First World War, 'normalcy' was not returned until well after the war . Soon after the publication of novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front and A Farewell to Arms, many of its readers spoke out in favor of war literature, claiming that these novels represented an "Erlosung", or liberation. , traumas of war. . We can consider that literature itself of this nature can help to rediscover this normality, to untangle “the tangled memories and emotions of the Great War, and to accept them”. (Barker 1979, p. 48). Since these war-based novels are considered helpful to veterans, it is important to note that there are a number of events in these novels by which a person is in search of a new purpose. Most notable is a statement from All Quiet on the Western Front, in which Paul declares: “We are no longer young people. We don't want to take the world by storm. We are running away from ourselves, our life. We were eighteen years old and beginning to love life and the world; and we had to tear it apart. (Note 1929, p. 42). Here there is a very strong feeling that, for the young men, the war has taken its toll and is no longer the adventure they were looking for. With a transition from youth to men, it appears they want to return to the normalcy that existed before their deployment. This idea is also applied in A Farewell to Arms. As Frédéric's relationship with Catherin develops, he too realizes that he is no longer a young man at war, but an adult who longs to escape violence and start a normal life with Catherine. He does everything possible to achieve this, notably refusing to have an operation to remain injured and avoid the front line: “I threw away this damn fatigue so that it deteriorates and I no longer need to go to the front line. the line. .” (Hemingway 2014, p. 30) It is interesting that Frederick fights his goal in the war with alcohol. Considered a form of escape, there is no doubt that Frédéric drinks to forget. Alcohol may remind him of home while blocking the trauma. Similarly, Paul and Kat go in search of a better meal and arrive with horseflesh, which they cook and eat. The simple fact that young men are seeking better food is an example of how strongly they want to return to normal, but the fact that they are feasting on horseflesh effectively calls into question their "civilized value." in both novels, particularly with the act of killing. Frédéric shoots and kills a sergeant who refuses to help him get the ambulance out of the mud. The fact that both men are fighting for the same side and that Frederick shows no remorse in killing him is proof of the truth that "civilized value" is diminished in those involved in war. On the other hand, Paul murders a British soldier in self-defense, but it is only after realizing what he has done that he declares: "I would give a lot if he would stay in life” (Remark 1929, p. 105). . Even though it is clear that Paul has been completely transformed by the war, there is still a sense that he is very human; he acts as if the dying soldier is a normal person on the streets of his hometown and refuses to let himconsider as an enemy. It is the realization that this man had a wife and a daughter which arouses the "civilized" side in Paul, and we can affirm that the return to normality is sometimes not sought, but comes naturally from the 'interior. also strong in the relationship between Frédéric and Catherine. It is above all the fact that Frédéric did not wish to start a relationship with Catherine, since he declares that he “took seeing Catherine very lightly” (Hemingway 2014, p. 35). As his natural feelings develop, revealing in him a desire for normalcy, he begins to "feel alone and empty" (ibid.) on the days he cannot see her. Such withdrawal symptoms make it clear that Frederick yearned for a return to normalcy in what was otherwise a very barbaric war. Paul's visit to his home while on leave highlights the toll the war has on the individual. Feeling disconnected from the start, he discovers that he "no longer has a place here, it's a foreign world." (Remark 1929, p. 79) While his father constantly questioned him about the war and his former schoolmaster insisted that they knew nothing about the bigger picture, Paul concluded: "I imagined that leave would be different from that. Indeed, it was different a year ago. It is of course me who has changed in the meantime. (ibid.). It is clear that the definition of “normal” was changed for Paul; it is no longer the safe environment of home, but the violence of the front line. It is clear that Paul had taken his return home to be very similar to that before the war. Barker asserts that "[Paul] Baumer's generation is trying to find a way back to normality, even if the impossibility of the task is just as obvious from the start." (1979, p. 57). While this is entirely true, perhaps the “impossibility of the task” is not as clear to young men as is claimed. Most likely, if Paul knew that returning home would cause him distress, he would not have returned. At the end of the trip, Paul can see that "it will be like this too, if I'm lucky, when the war is over and I come back here for good." I'm going to sit here like this, look at my room and wait. (Note 1929, p. 80). He is clearly aware of the effects of the war on him, and is perhaps at this point more aware of the fact that a return to normal is unlikely. Despite this, Paul brings a taste of home to the front line. He gives Kat and Kropp potato pancakes and jam made by his mother. It's interesting to see Kat's reaction when he takes a bite. He knows immediately that these were made by Paul's mother and says he "can tell by the taste." (Note 1929, p. 96). For soldiers, a bite of home-cooked food is a return to normalcy and exposes the dietary conditions of war in a more interesting way. We can assume that Kat is accustomed to less tasteful foods and therefore can contrast quality tastes. Catherine in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms is also a character who is undoubtedly in search of normality. Although her role in the Great War was secondary, she was deeply affected by its outcome. After the death of her fiancé during the Battle of the Somme, she moved to Italy to find solidarity. Yet here she returned to her role as a nurse and found little solidarity while serving in the war. She tells Frédéric that she was going to cut her hair when she learned of the death of her fiancé, and this because she “wanted to do something for him”. (Hemingway 2014, p. 16). During her relationship with Frédéric, she undoubtedly fights for normality, which she hopes to achieve in. 33)