One of Paul’s classmates. Müller is practical and unsentimental about what it takes to survive in war. When he visits Kemmerich, he pesters Kemmerich to give him his good boots even though this is a rather rude thing to do to a dying man who has just lost a leg.
Müller Quotes in All Quiet on the Western Front
The All Quiet on the Western Front quotes below are all either spoken by Müller or refer to Müller. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Though Müller would be delighted to have Kemmerich's boots, he is really quite as sympathetic as another who could not bear to think of such a thing for grief. He merely sees things clearly…We have lost all sense of other considerations, because they are artificial. Only the facts are real and important for us. And good boots are scarce.
Related Characters:
Paul Bäumer (speaker), Müller, Franz Kemmerich
Related Symbols:
Kemmerich’s Boots
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
This is the first time I have killed with my hands, whom I can see close at hand, whose death is my doing. Kat and Kropp and Müller have experienced it already, when they have hit someone; it happens to many, in hand-to-hand fighting especially— But every gasp lays my heart bare. This dying man has time with him, he has an invisible dagger with which he stabs me: Time and my thoughts.
Related Characters:
Paul Bäumer (speaker), Stanislaus Katczinsky, Müller, Albert Kropp
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Müller Character Timeline in All Quiet on the Western Front
The timeline below shows where the character Müller appears in All Quiet on the Western Front. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...the men were schoolmates back in Germany: Paul; the clear-headed Kropp; the brainy but practical Müller; and Leer, the most worldly of the bunch. All of the students had originally joined...
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...try to cheer him up, but they are already planning to divide up his possessions. Müller tries to persuade Kemmerich to give them his beautiful leather boots, but Kemmerich resists. Eventually,...
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...preoccupied and mostly silent. Only Kropp becomes visibly upset, tossing away his cigarette and swearing. Müller tries to distract him by asking about the contents of Kantorek’s letter.
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Chapter 2
...first experiences of army life as a young recruit. He and his former classmates Kropp, Müller, and Kemmerich trained under the command of Corporal Himmelstoss, who forced them to do humiliating...
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...village to recover. But his friend simply tells Paul to give his precious boots to Müller, indicating that Kemmerich has realized the truth about his condition.
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When Paul reaches the hut, his friend Müller is waiting outside for him. Paul doesn’t say anything about watching Kemmerich die. He simply...
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Chapter 4
...the guts” and may even allow them to return home to recover. The usually moody Muller is in particularly good spirits, as he is wearing the new boots he has inherited...
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Chapter 5
Muller suddenly turns to Kropp and asks him what he would do if there were peace...
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Müller won’t let the subject drop. He wakes up Haie and asks him the same question....
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Müller and Kropp tally up the casualties their school class has suffered: twelve out of twenty...
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Chapter 9
...travels back to the frontlines to rejoin his regiment, and is pleased to find Tjaden, Müller, Kat, and Kropp all alive and well.
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Chapter 10
Paul, Kat, Albert, Müller, Tjaden, and Detering are sent to guard an abandoned village. They find a suitable position...
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Chapter 11
Müller dies after being shot from point-blank range in the stomach. He agonizes for half an...
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