Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque
"Arch of Triumph" is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque that centers on the life of a German political refugee named Ravic, who previously served as a head surgeon in a German hospital before fleeing the rise of the Nazis. Residing in Paris in 1939, Ravic navigates his new reality by working clandestinely as a surgeon for French doctors while living in a refugee hotel filled with various exiles, including Russians, German Jews, and Spaniards. The narrative explores his tumultuous love affair with Joan Madou, a captivating yet unpredictable woman, which becomes increasingly complicated by their respective pasts and external circumstances.
Ravic’s life takes a dark turn when he is arrested for providing medical assistance to an accident victim, leading to his deportation to Switzerland. When he returns to Paris, he discovers Joan involved with an actor, and tragedy strikes when that actor shoots her, prompting Ravic to make a heart-wrenching choice to end her suffering. The story also delves into Ravic's earlier trauma, including his arrest and torture by a Gestapo officer, Haake, which ultimately shapes his perspective on life. The novel portrays themes of alienation and resilience amid totalitarian oppression, encapsulated by the juxtaposition of the iconic Arch of Triumph, symbolizing both hope and despair against the backdrop of impending war.
Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition
First published:Arc de Triomphe, 1946 (English translation, 1945)
Type of work: Novel
The Work
Arch of Triumph focuses upon the experiences of a German political refugee, known by his pseudonym, Ravic. Before escaping the Nazis, Ravic, whose real name is Ludwig Fresenburg, had been head surgeon in a German hospital. Having fled to Paris, Ravic illegally employed his medical skills as a “ghost” surgeon for two French doctors. Meanwhile in 1939, he was living relatively comfortably in a refugee hotel whose inhabitants represented a cross section of Russian, German-Jewish, and Spanish exiles.
The drama unfolds as Ravic meets and falls in love with Joan Madou, a beautiful but unpredictable woman. Their affair is seriously troubled and soon complicated by outside events. Ravic is arrested by the French police after rendering first aid to an accident victim and is deported to Switzerland. Months later, when he returns to Paris, Joan is living with an actor. As Ravic tries to reestablish his relationship with Joan, the jealous actor shoots her. Ravic’s surgical skills fail him as he tries to save her, and after reaffirming their love, Ravic, in order to end Joan’s agony, mercifully kills her by administering a lethal injection.
Joan is the second love that Ravic has lost to fate. In 1933, before his flight from Nazi Germany, Ravic and Sybil, his girlfriend, were arrested for helping friends flee the Gestapo. Ravic and Sybil were tortured by Haake, a Gestapo officer, before Ravic was sent to the concentration camp from which he later escaped to France. Sybil, presumably, dies. Until emotionally rescued by his subsequent love with Joan Madou, Ravic has a completely negative view of life. Ravic avenges himself against his Gestapo torturer when by chance he meets Haake in Paris and Ravic, unrecognized, is able to lure Haake to his death. After Haake’s death, Ravic acquires new inner strength. Although the symbol of France, the Arch of Triumph, is plunged into darkness with the outbreak of war, and although Ravic faces a grim future of internment, he nonetheless is emotionally equipped to survive.
Arch of Triumph, Remarque’s second most successful novel, continues one of the author’s favored themes about powerless and alienated individuals who find the inner strength for survival under totalitarian oppression.
Bibliography
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Firda, Richard Arthur. “All Quiet on the Western Front”: Literary Analysis and Cultural Context. New York: Twayne, 1993.
Firda, Richard Arthur. Erich Maria Remarque: A Thematic Analysis of His Novels. New York: Peter Lang, 1988.
Fussell, Paul. The Great War and Modern Memory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1975.
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