The Desire for Kemmerich's Watch and Boots

War is almost always a demotivating experience for all soldiers. Seeing their friends die horrible deaths, living in camps with a very low standard, some of them being captured by the enemy and in the end there is a very high chance of death. The description in All Quiet On the Western Front is very realistic and includes details that not many would have imagined, theft. Even though Kemmerich is on his death bed with his leg amputated, the thief fancied Kemmerich's watch and took it without Kemmerich noticing. To Kemmerich, his watch was probably a very valuable possession for him "Kemmerich starts on again about the watch." (Page 16) Another event that involves Kemmerich's possessions is that Müller wants to take his fine boots as Müller boots give him "blister after blister" (Page 17). The similarity between these two events is that everyone is for themselves. This statement means that everyone thinks about themselves and acts selfish to stay alive during the war. The watch was stolen because of the leisure element and to stay a little more mentally healthy through the war. Müller also plans to own the boots after Kemmerich dies because he wants to add a little boost toward his physical health. The first difference between them is that the watch was actually stolen before Kemmerich died while Müller actually waited for Kemmerich to die before taking over the boots. This is significant because Kemmerich could still use the boots before he died but he could not use his watch and was miserable until he died. Another difference is that the thief who stole Kemmerich's watch most probably didn't even deserve to have the watch, while Müller does because he is a friend of Kemmerich. The moral that these two events might offer is that war can ruin anyone's spirits and do anything to survive even if it is not something that person would do in real life without war.