If you are going to get acquainted with Remarque, you must understand and accept that war is, was and will be. This theme permeates through the works of the author, preparing the characters difficult fate, pain and, oddly enough, a place in this crazy world. Some do not survive volleys of rifles, bayonets and grenades. And some are left unharmed, but emptied like a nut shell, which will never have a kernel and a continuation. And only the most resilient will leave in the past the horrors of war, but the baggage of memories and nagging wounds will come with them for the rest of their days.
Remarque's biography is essentially marked and his writing fundamentally influenced by German history of the twentieth century: Childhood and youth in imperial Osnabrück, World War I, the Weimar Republic, and most of all his exile in Switzerland and the United States. With the novel All Quiet On the Western Front, first published in 1929, Remarque attained world-wide recognition continuing today.
"Three Comrades" is a touching parable about love and friendship. Love that gives strength. Friendship that turns into a bond of kinship. The crisis that gripped postwar Germany pushed many into the streets, depriving them of their livelihood and a piece of bread. The lost generation cannot settle in a world that is foreign to them. Many have no education, no profession, no relatives, no corner of their own. They were taught to listen to orders and to kill, to kill people like them. Yesterday's schoolchildren have nothing but pain, and they squander their last pennies, trying to wash their wounds with alcohol. But if the pain goes away, what's left? Nothing if there's no one to lend a hand.
The three comrades and one girl are a small family built not on blood kinship, but on mutual acceptance, respect, and love. For the heroes, the tiny workshop has become not a chore and not just a place of work, but a second home and a forge of hope. Supporting each other, Robert, Otto and Gottfried work hard, repairing damaged cars and fixing up their own frisky horse, "Karl. These men are not dejected and do not complain too much about their fate, they know that the strong and the clever go everywhere. Work is their sustenance and hobby, their forge and entertainment, the road to tomorrow.
Patricia is a fragile butterfly, thin and graceful, beautiful and a little fussy. That is only a first impression, which gradually dissipates as she delves deeper into the book. Behind the sad but shining eyes hides a lonely and strong creature who fights for life and doesn't give up without a fight. The appearance of Patricia refreshes the work and gives a second breath to both the main character, Robert, and his entire surroundings.
The narrative is told in the first person. Robert sincerely and fully shares his thoughts and feelings, hopes and worries with the readers. The hero is about 30 years old, but sometimes he seems much younger, as if only yesterday left the school bench, and still remains a temperamental young man. But he is by no means a poser, he does not show off in front of others. Robert feels insecure about relationships, so he doesn't do anything stupid. What I respect him for is his ability to give himself completely to both the cause and the one he loves. He will not betray for love or for friendship. Fortunately, Otto and Gottfried have a soft spot for Patricia, and both show their involvement with the lovers. This adds to the lyricism and natural beauty of the work.
It is difficult to compare The Three Comrades with Remarque's other books, while there are many unread among them, but something tells me that this is one of the most moving and optimistic stories in the author's oeuvre. Yes, there are many unfortunate events, and some of the denouements are hard to read with dry eyes, too much empathy for the beloved characters. But even the worst the characters take with dignity. And the lines are lukewarm hope against all odds. There is also room for irony.
"One should not enter into a struggle against excited maternal feelings. They have the moralists of the world on their side."
"Heroism, my boy, is needed only for hard times. But we live in an age of despair. Only a sense of humor is appropriate here."
"The world is not crazy. Only people."
It's no longer the dystopia of "On the Western Front...," but it's not yet a whitewash for people surviving in the 1920s and 1930s, either. If you forget about the key storyline, you can see a lot of little sorrows and joys that make up the lives of secondary characters that the reader meets in different chapters. There is something to think about, something to compare it to. And each character performs a certain role, reveals the time and generation from some new side. A single generation, and such a diverse bunch: an obsessive student, a night butterfly, a bar owner, a janitor from a workshop, an office worker, a slick crook, a successful businessman, and many, many others.
I do not know what Remarque wanted to say, and whether to guess, when you can find in the text its own meaning and truth. Friendship and love make people stronger, as do past troubles, as do safely ended quarrels. But none of this is insurance against an evil fate, against an imminent end. The only difference is that some know and anticipate their passing, while for others one unexpected moment can turn into death.
Losing loved ones is an ordeal, a new pain mixed with the old. But the best thing to do is to live and remember. To think and act is not for the sake of ghosts, but in harmony with the conscience and the memory of the dearest people. The future is seldom as imagined, but the present is most important. So go forward boldly, with your head held high, love tenderly and desperately, hold on to your friends and do not leave them in a moment of need, do not leave them in joy and do not forget them in everyday life.
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