Alls Quiet on the Western Front Questions and Answers for Chapters 5-8 1. The irony of the soldiers killing the lice is that it represents the soldiers being picked out of their homes and cities and all the death and warfare that go on. The “crack” is like the gunshots and how they can be easily killed. The irony is seen because it is thought that the men love war and always have something to do but they are so bored that they pick lice off the others bodies. 2. Albert Kropp has the most realistic view on life after war. The theme that is reinforced in the lost generation theme and how they have nothing to go back to and that there is no way that they can all get back to normal life after war. 3. The theme that is reinforced in the scenes where Paul and Kat eat goose in comaraderie. The way that Paul kills the geese by head bashing is very humorous. And the fact that he doesn’t have enough strength to fight them off. He is also being chased by the geese and the dog. 4. It is ironic about the piles of coffins the men see as they move to the front is that the coffins are meant for them. 5. a) The elements of irony in the tone of the passage are that the men are waiting, continuously and they have this anxiety that was caused by bombardment and just the fact that they had to sit and wait. Then when I war they were thrown into hell and all this destructiveness. b) The parts in the passage that reinforce the destructiveness of war is like when Paul says that they have become wild beasts. They throw grenades at each other and “ defend ourselves against annihilation”. 6. The symbolism in the passage where Paul is afraid  and uncomfortable without his soldier’s uniform is the fact that he is part of the lost generation and basically he is only a soldier and he will continue to be a soldier forever. The irony is that he is scared without his uniform when it would be thought that he would be more scared to have it on. The lost generation. 7. The new side of Paul that we see when he is in his room is that he has this love for war and the upbeat tempo of it. He still is fantasizing about life after the war and how life was before the war. The themes that are reinforced are  the lost generation and the destructiveness of war. 8. The themes of shared humanity and the corrupting effects of power are illustrated because Paul realizes that his enemies are men and humans and that they had lives before.  The power thing is that he sees now how man can be corrupt by power and that they are turned into monsters once they get power. 9. Paul doesn’t feel at home with his family because he has been through so much already that has made him grow up and undergo so much more then they could understand. 10. Paul is able to lie to Kemmerich’s mother because he has seen so many deaths and the fact that Kemmerich will not be coming back so why should she know that he died a horrible death.