Essay Questions

What is the significance of this quote from the unnamed soldier, “Two armies are fighting each other – that’s like one great army committing suicide?”

This quote helps the reader to question the motive of the war in the first place. This quote informs Barbusse's essential insight of the reason for war because when two countries engage in a conflict, the soldiers and ordinary citizens are the ones who suffer the most. For instance, the low-class soldiers and ordinary people are put in the frontline to dig trenches under deplorable conditions. These trenches are used as defensive mechanisms during war. Most causalities of war are the men who are turned into soldiers without proper training.

What is the emblematic meaning of the climatic conditions as used in the book ‘Under Fire’?

Weather is mentioned throughout the book to epitomize the war that is about to happen. The soldiers are forced to dig trenches under unfavorable weather conditions. For instance, the author says that despite the bad weather, the sergeants are harsh, and they force soldiers to dig trenches even when it is raining. At night, the soldiers have to endure the cold and wake up early to continue excavating the trenches. The harsh weather conditions symbolize the oncoming war and its severe effects on humanity.

What is the irony of WWI, according to the author?

The author firmly believes that WWI is initiated by politicians who are eying certain benefits after the war. Astonishingly, the politicians who are the architects of war think that they are immortal because they are assured of benefits after the war. Ironically, these politicians are human, and death is no selective during war. Consequently, it is not surprising that most of these politicians never lived to witness the aftermath of WWI.