Quality of Life
Among the topics that are often brought up in the novel is the idea that sometimes death is a better choice than being forced to live a life full of suffering, a life in which a person is unable to do anything and communicate with the outside world. While the doctors may have considered Joe to be lucky because he survived the war and because he was able to survive his wounds, Joe considers those who died as being luckier than he was. For him, it would have been better to die than to be a prisoner in some hospital. For Joe, life is something valuable but only when a person is able to enjoy being alive and when that person has control over his or hers life.
Anti-War Sentiments
The novel is classified as being an anti-war novel because of the way the war is described. Joe does not try to glamorize war or to put a great emphasis on patriotism and honor as being the reasons why a person agrees to go to war. Instead, he presents the ugly side of war, the side that is overlooked by those trying to convince the young men to join the army. Joe is a direct product of war and his condition and state of mind were directly influenced by his participation in the battles. In his mind, he is the perfect example of why someone should not go to war and in his mind he often talks with a "soldier’’ whom he tries to convince to stay at home and as far away as possible from the battlefield.
Pastoralism and Capitalism
The novel presents two ways of life: a pastoral one, where a person makes enough to feed his family but does not make any profit and a capitalist one, focused on gaining as much money as possible and spending as much money as possible. Joe’s father represents the pastoral life, being able to provide for his family but unable to make a profit and by the modern day standards, Joe’s father is considered as being unsuccessful. But for Joe, the pastoral way of living is more benefic than the capitalist way of living because the pastoral one is based on cohabiting and living in peace with one another while the capitalist one is able to do everything just to make more profit and gain more money and influence.
