Arch of Triumph

• Year Published: 1945.
• Pages: 455.

Arch of Triumph takes place in Paris during the tense months before World War II erupts. The novel captures the atmosphere of a city filled with refugees, political tensions, and the growing threat of Nazi Germany. Remarque, himself a German exile who fled Nazi persecution, draws from personal experience to portray the lives of displaced persons struggling to survive in pre-war Europe.

The title refers to the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which serves as both a literal landmark and a symbol of triumph over adversity. The arch becomes a recurring motif representing the characters’ hopes for overcoming their circumstances and finding peace.

Plot Summary

Opening Situation

The novel follows Dr. Ravic, a German refugee and skilled surgeon living illegally in Paris under an assumed identity. Stripped of his medical license and constantly evading deportation, Ravic performs underground surgeries to survive. His life is haunted by memories of torture at the hands of Gestapo officer Haake, who destroyed his career and killed the woman he loved.

Rising Action

Ravic’s carefully controlled existence changes when he encounters Joan Madou, a struggling actress, during a moment of crisis on a bridge. Their intense but troubled relationship becomes central to the narrative. Joan represents both salvation and destruction for Ravic—she offers him love and passion, but also brings chaos and emotional vulnerability he has tried to suppress.

The novel explores their complex relationship against the backdrop of increasing political tensions. Ravic continues his dangerous work as an unlicensed surgeon while navigating the precarious world of refugees, each struggling with their own traumas and uncertain futures.

Climax and Resolution

The story builds to Ravic’s confrontation with Haake, who appears in Paris. This encounter forces Ravic to confront his past and decide between revenge and moving forward. The novel concludes as war finally breaks out, fundamentally changing the characters’ circumstances and forcing new choices about survival and identity.

Character Analysis

Dr. Ravic (Main Protagonist)

Ravic embodies the displaced intellectual forced into a shadow existence by historical circumstances. His character represents the broader experience of refugees who lost everything to fascism. Despite his trauma, he maintains his humanity through his medical work and capacity for love. His internal struggle between vengeance and healing drives much of the novel’s psychological depth.

Character Arc: Ravic evolves from a man focused purely on survival to someone capable of love and ultimately making peace with his past. His relationship with Joan both threatens and ultimately helps restore his emotional life.

Joan Madou

Joan serves as both a love interest and a catalyst for Ravic’s emotional awakening. Her character represents the complexity of human nature—simultaneously selfish and generous, destructive and life-giving. She embodies the uncertainty and moral ambiguity of the pre-war period.

Significance: Joan forces Ravic to confront his emotional numbness and reconnect with life beyond mere survival. Their relationship mirrors the larger themes of love persisting despite impossible circumstances.

Haake

The Gestapo officer represents evil and the traumatic past that haunts Ravic. More than a simple antagonist, Haake symbolizes the systematic cruelty of fascism and the personal cost of political persecution.

Supporting Characters

• Boris Morosow: Russian exile and Ravic’s friend, representing the international community of displaced persons
• Kate Hegström: Wealthy American woman who becomes Ravic’s patient and benefactor
• Weber: Hotel owner who provides sanctuary for refugees
• Dr. Veber: Represents the official medical establishment that Ravic has been excluded from

Major Themes

Exile and Identity

The novel explores how political displacement affects personal identity. Characters struggle to maintain their sense of self while living under false names and uncertain legal status. Remarque examines how external circumstances can fragment one’s identity and the psychological cost of living in constant fear of deportation.

Love in Extreme Circumstances

The relationship between Ravic and Joan demonstrates how love can persist and even flourish under the most difficult conditions. Their romance is complicated by their uncertain situation, showing how historical forces intrude into personal relationships.

Survival and Morality

Characters face constant moral choices about how to survive with dignity. Ravic’s illegal medical practice raises questions about following rules versus helping people. The novel examines what compromises are acceptable when survival is at stake.

Memory and Trauma

The psychological impact of violence and persecution haunts all major characters. Remarque explores how individuals process trauma and whether healing is possible after extreme suffering.

The Approaching War

The novel builds tension through the growing awareness that war is inevitable. Characters live in a liminal space between peace and war, creating an atmosphere of suspended anxiety that affects all their relationships and decisions.

Symbolism and Motifs

The Arc de Triomphe

The famous Parisian monument serves as the novel’s central symbol. It represents triumph over adversity but also the irony of celebrating military victories while preparing for new wars. For the refugees, it symbolizes the hope of overcoming their current circumstances.

Medical Practice

Ravic’s underground surgery work symbolizes healing and preservation of life in a world trending toward death and destruction. His medical skills represent his ability to maintain humanity despite dehumanizing circumstances.

Bridges

Physical bridges in Paris mirror the metaphorical bridges characters attempt to build between their past and future, their true and assumed identities, their hope and despair.

Rain and Weather

Weather patterns throughout the novel reflect emotional states and political tensions. The approaching storm mirrors the coming war.

Writing Style and Technique

Remarque employs a spare, understated prose style that allows the emotional weight of situations to emerge through action rather than explicit description. His third-person narration maintains psychological distance while providing intimate access to characters’ thoughts.

The author uses:

• Understated dialogue that reveals character through subtext
• Atmospheric description that mirrors emotional states
• Stream-of-consciousness passages during moments of crisis
• Juxtaposition of ordinary life against extraordinary circumstances

Historical Significance

Arch of Triumph provides valuable insight into the refugee experience in pre-World War II Europe. Remarque’s firsthand experience as an exile lends authenticity to his portrayal of displaced persons struggling to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

The novel serves as a historical document of the period between Nazi rise to power and the outbreak of World War II, capturing the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear that characterized this crucial moment in European history.

Study Questions

Comprehension Questions

1. What circumstances led to Ravic’s exile from Germany?
2. How does Ravic survive financially in Paris without legal status?
3. What role does the Arc de Triomphe play in the novel’s symbolism?
4. How does Joan’s background affect her relationship with Ravic?

Analysis Questions

1. How does Remarque use the setting of pre-war Paris to enhance the novel’s themes?
2. What does Ravic’s medical practice reveal about his character and values?
3. How do the supporting characters represent different responses to exile and displacement?
4. What is the significance of the novel’s title in relation to its themes?

Discussion Questions

1. Is Ravic’s quest for revenge against Haake justified? Why or why not?
2. How does the love story between Ravic and Joan reflect the larger historical situation?
3. What does the novel suggest about maintaining identity under extreme circumstances?
4. How does Remarque balance hope and despair throughout the narrative?

Essay Topics

Character Analysis Topics

• The evolution of Ravic’s character from victim to active agent
• Joan Madou as a symbol of life force versus destructive passion
• The role of minor characters in representing different refugee experiences

Thematic Analysis Topics

• Exile as both physical displacement and psychological condition
• The relationship between personal trauma and historical circumstances
• Love as resistance against dehumanizing forces

Literary Analysis Topics

• Remarque’s use of symbolism to convey political and emotional themes
• The function of medical imagery in the novel’s moral framework
• Narrative structure and its relationship to the characters’ psychological states

Comparative Analysis Topics

• Comparison with Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front
• The novel’s place in literature of exile and displacement
• Pre-war anxiety literature and its historical significance

Key Quotes for Analysis

“The arch stood there, massive and confident, as if wars had never existed and would never exist.”

“In this time of waiting, they had learned to live from day to day, not to think too much about tomorrow.”

“Love was not a luxury anymore; it was a necessity, like breathing or eating.”

“He had learned that memory was not always an enemy; sometimes it was the only friend one had left.”

Literary Devices

Irony

The novel employs situational irony in characters celebrating French culture and freedom while that very freedom is about to be destroyed by war.

Foreshadowing

References to increasing political tensions and military preparations foreshadow the coming conflict.

Metaphor

The arch itself serves as an extended metaphor for human endurance and the possibility of triumph over adversity.

Stream of Consciousness

Used during Ravic’s moments of crisis to reveal his psychological state.

Conclusion

Arch of Triumph stands as both a powerful love story and a significant historical novel that captures the experience of displacement and survival in one of history’s most turbulent periods. Remarque’s ability to blend personal drama with broader historical themes makes this work essential reading for understanding both the refugee experience and the psychological impact of political persecution.

The novel’s enduring relevance lies in its exploration of how individuals maintain humanity and find love under the most challenging circumstances. These themes resonate across different historical periods and continue to speak to contemporary readers facing their own forms of displacement and uncertainty.