A "wasteland" generation

On page 20 of All Quiet On The Western Front, narrator Paul Bäumer, describes his generation, "we have become wasteland". This contradicts the idea that the young men of Paul's generation are standing on "the threshold of life". Kantorek, the boys former teacher describes them in this way, with their entire lives ahead of them, like the world is to be their oyster. These boys are just on the threshold because as explained, they are in the midst of transitioning between school and home life with their parents, to jobs and eventually being married with their own families. However, the war put a halt on this progression. In essence, the war cuts off any progression that could have been made in these boys lives because they're away from their old lives at home, but also is literally cutting their lives short by death. The war is taking up some of the most important years of these boys lives. During this era, your early 20s was when you established yourself; got a job, got married. Yet instead, there is a war on so the young men are unable to do these things, they are being uprooted and made to fight for their country. After the war is over, or at once they have been discharged, the remaining boys will come home missing years of their lives, missing limbs, or some may never come back at all. How could that be described as being on the glorious threshold of life? Their opportunity, and their innocence have been forcefully taken by the war, which is why Paul describes his generation as a wasteland, their potential has been wasted, their possibilities cut short.

Paul then goes on to explain that the "finest thing to come out of war" is comradeship. This both goes along with the idea of "Iron Youth" but also the wasteful manner in which the young men are treated. Friendship is a bond that forms within all of the young men as they go through the horrors of war together, transforming them into the "iron youth". But also, the war is so wasteful that friendship is the only and best thing that can be gained. While friendship truly is important and meaningful, friendships at the front could be cut short as men died every single day. The friendships made at the front could last forever, if both men lived, but in most cases, it seems these friendships were slowly being destroyed by the war. Kemmerich dies before the war if over, the friendship that Paul shared with Kemmerich now weighs heavy on his as he has to write to his friends mother of her sons death. Plus, having to try to sort out your friends affairs as they lay dying is not the best case scenario for a friendship, but the war has put them in this place nevertheless.