"The crowd, still shouting, gives way before us. We plough our way through. Women hold their aprons over their faces and go stumbling away. A roar of fury goes up. A wounded man is being carried off"
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Erich Maria Remarque's quote plunges us into the disorderly and adrenaline-imbued environment of a crowd captured up in the throes of some turbulent occasion. The imagery is vibrant and immediate, highlighting both the physical and emotional landscape of the minute. The crowd is referred to as "shouting", suggesting a cumulative intensity and fervor, yet they "pave the way before us", showing a powerful advance through their middle. This movement through the crowd is likened to "till", a verb that connotes effort, decision, and a practically mechanical development through resistance.
The action of the ladies in the crowd adds another layer to the scene. By holding their aprons over their faces, these women are portrayed as vulnerable and overwhelmed, seeking protection from the harshness around them. This gesture might signify their desire to shield themselves from the chaos but could also imply a social commentary on the effects of such occasions on civilians, specifically women.
The expression "a roar of fury increases" symbolizes an escalation in intensity, as if the crowd itself has taken on a life of its own, driven by a powerful and cumulative feeling. This is punctuated by the picture of "an injured male being carried off", which serves as a plain focal point of the mayhem. The wounded male is a sign of the human expense in the middle of the bigger turmoil, reminding the reader of the individual suffering intrinsic in such scenes.
Remarque's writing captures the essence of a chaotic and vibrant moment, pulling the reader into the psychological current of the scene. While the specific context is not provided, the passage reflects the universal experience of disorderly urban scenes-- whether in fight, demonstration, or civil discontent-- and the raw human emotions they generate. The mixing of extreme descriptors with human responses paints a complicated photo, triggering reflection on the nature of crowd behavior and the private within the mass.
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