Müller's Death and Inheritance of Boots

Müller, the pragmatic student, is killed by a Verey light, and his boots pass to Paul, continuing the cycle of inheritance.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Pragmatist

The Pragmatist The Student Müller carries his school textbooks with him and dreams of examinations. He is practical and unsentimental. He is the one who covets Kemmerich's boots. The Survivor Müller survives many battles, always with an eye on the future. He is one of the few old hands left. The End Müller is killed by a Verey light shot point-blank in the stomach. He lives for half an hour in terrible pain. Before dying, he gives his pocket-book and boots to Paul.

The Boots Passed On

The Boots Passed On The Inheritance Paul takes Müller's boots. They are the same boots that once belonged to Kemmerich. The boots are a link between the dead and the living. The Promise Paul promises the boots to Tjaden after him. The boots are a practical item, but also a symbol of the cycle of death. The Continuation Paul wears the boots as he continues to fight. The boots are a reminder of the friends he has lost.

Throughout the novel

Immediately after Müller's death