Paul's death at the end of All Quiet on the Western Front may seem like a pointless tragedy of war.  Or it may seem like a blessing because he didn't have to go through the rest of the war and live the rest of his life with his mind emotionally destroyed.  Both of these arguments have their strong points.  But in the end, Paul Bäumer's death was more of a blessing to him than anything else.

    Surviving the rest of the war would have been bad enough for Paul to endure physically and emotionally.  Every time Paul went into the trenches, he came back at an emotional low because of all the death and violence that had been going on very close to him, sometimes involving him personally.  When he killed the French soldier, at first...