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One key incident in the novel is when Paul experiences hand to hand combat with a French soldier, and kills him. Up to this point, Paul had never fought the enemy face to face. When Paul kills the enemy, he instantly feels guilt and regret as he realises the man is just like him or any other soldier. " forgive me comrade", he says. The use of "comrade" suggests that he sees the man as a friend, rather than an enemy. This conveys the idea that the soldiers feel as though they are not fighting for themselves at all, but solely for the government. Duval, is a human being just like Paul, and there is no reason for him to be killed. In fact, the boys are not killing through any sort of hatred, but are merely trying to keep themselves alive. The boys are merely pawns in someone elses game, used to fight a political battle they had no part in creating.

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15y ago

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