The action takes place in Germany around 1928. Three former soldiers, comrades from the time of the First World War - Robert Lokamp (Robbie), Otto Kester and Gottfried Lenz - have a small car repair shop in the town.

They usually earn money thanks to Inspector Barzig, an expert from the Phoenix Insurance Company, who delivers cars after accidents for a car repair shop. IN free time three comrades drive an old car with a large body. For modest appearance and the enormous speed that the car develops, three friends nicknamed him "Karl" - "the ghost of the highway." In addition to repairs and driving, comrades like to drink with Ferdinand and Valentin in Alphonse's pub or the International cafe, where Robbie plays the piano.

Robbie befriends local prostitutes Lily, Rosa, the transvestite Kiki, and hermit widower Stefan Grigoleit, chairman of the Cattlemen's Union. Not far from the International, Lokamp rents a small apartment in a building near a cemetery. The mistress of the house, Frau Zalewski, loves Robert, and Frida, the maid, is at enmity with him.

Robert or Robbie, as he is commonly known, met a charming girl from a wealthy family, Patricia Holman (Pat). Although Robbie and Pat came from different backgrounds, they developed an affectionate relationship. The novel depicts the development of their love against the background of the economic and political crisis in pre-war Germany.

Issues

The novel continues the theme of the "lost generation". People who have gone through the fear of war cannot escape the ghosts of the past. War memories constantly torment the protagonist. Hungry childhood caused the illness of his beloved. But it was the military fraternity that rallied the three comrades Robert Lokamp, ​​Otto Koester and Gottfried Lenz. And they are ready for anything for the sake of friendship. Despite the death that literally permeates the novel, he talks about the desire for life.

Robert Lokamp (Robbie) main character, it is on his behalf that the author narrates. Co-owner of the Avrema auto repair shop, loves strong alcoholic drinks, and above all, rum.
Otto Kester is a friend of Robert since the war, the founder and co-owner of Avrem, an amateur race car driver. Calm and balanced in nature.
Gottfried Lenz - comrade of Robert Lokamp since the war, co-owner of Avrem. Hot, cheerful, sensual, for which he is often called "the last romantic." Tall and thin with a mop of straw hair on his head.
Patricia Holman (Pat) is a slender, thin girl with silky brown hair and long fingers. She came from an impoverished aristocratic family.
Ferdinand Grau is a plump artist who paints the dead to order and loves to philosophize.
Valentin Gauser is Robbie's comrade since the war. He was especially worried about her, because he was very much afraid for own life. After returning from the front, he undertook to celebrate life and enjoy every minute of it - to drink away all his huge inheritance.
Alphonse is the owner of a pub and a great friend of Lenz. Likes fights and choral music. A strong, calm person with small eyes.
Selected quotes "Walking graveyard steaks" - the final phrase of a drunken Robbie during a quarrel with a fat passer-by.
Modesty and conscientiousness are rewarded only in novels.
“Only a fool wins in life, a wise man sees too many obstacles and loses confidence until he has time to start something.” - Ferdinand Grau.
“We all live with illusions and debts ... Illusions are from the past, and debts are at the expense of the future,” Gottfried Lenz and Ferdinand Grau.
“A woman should not tell a man that she loves him. Let her shining, happy eyes speak for it,” Robbie.
Love originates in a person, but never ends in it.
Happiness is the most uncertain and costly thing in the world.
To be able to forget is the motto of today, and endless reflections, really, are useless!
It is sometimes necessary to deviate from principles, otherwise they do not bring joy.
Human life lasts a very long time for one love.
Morality is an invention of mankind, but not a conclusion from life experience.
"It's better to die when you want to live than to live to the point that you want to die" - Pat.
"If you want to live, it means that there is something that you love" - ​​Pat.

The post was inspired by reading the beautiful novel by Erich Maria Remarque "Three Comrades" (Erich Maria Remarque "Drei Kameraden").

Reference

Full name: "Three Comrades"
Original language: German
Year of publication: 1936
Number of pages (A4): 265

Summary of Remarque's novel "Three Comrades"
The action of Remarque's novel "Three Comrades" takes place in Germany in the late twenties. The main characters are inseparable friends Otto Kester, Gottfried Lenz and Robert Lokamp (the narration is on his behalf). Friends are inseparable from the First World War, in which they took part. All three work at an auto repair shop owned by Otto. All around 30.

The situation in post-war Germany is not easy: there are no jobs, the population lives modestly, many have known unemployment and even hunger. There is no hope for a brighter future. Friends work a lot, and in their free time they have fun with other young people of the same kind. None of them think far ahead.

"- You know what I mean: a simple soul, not yet eaten away by skepticism and super-intelligence. Parzival was stupid. If he were smart, he would never have won the Holy Grail. Only a fool wins in life, a wise man sees too many obstacles and loses confidence before he has even begun to do anything. In difficult times, naivety is the most precious treasure, it is a magical cloak that hides those dangers that the wise guy directly jumps on, as if hypnotized.

One day they meet a beautiful girl named Patricia Holman (Pat). They all like her, but Robert finds her especially sweet and they start a relationship. At first, they both take this relationship lightly, but over time, both fall more and more in love with each other. Friends accept Pat into their circle.

"I spoke and heard my voice, but it seemed that it was not me, that someone else was speaking, and the way I would like to be. The words that I spoke were no longer true, they mixed up, they crowded, leading away to other lands, more colorful and bright than those in which the small events of my life took place, I knew that I was telling lies, that I was composing and lying, but I did not care, because the truth was hopeless and dull. in the feeling of a dream, in its reflections.

Robert finds out that Pat is alone, she has no relatives. She lives on the remaining money, but soon she will have to get a job. The reason for her desire to simply live without work is her illness - she is sick with tuberculosis, the development of which she was able to stop a few years ago. However, at the seaside where Robert and Pat have gone, Pat has a seizure and the doctor warns Robert that Pat must go to a Swiss sanatorium for treatment. All the time before Pat's departure, they already live together and try to spend as much time as possible together. They can no longer live without each other, although they both understand that this will end soon.

"Listen, Gottfried, you seem to be an expert in matters of love?
- Connoisseur? Yes, I am a grandmaster in love affairs, - Lenz answered modestly. - Great. So I would like to know: is it always behaving like a fool?
- What do you mean, how stupid?
- Well, like you're half drunk. Chatting, talking nonsense and besides deceiving?
Lenz laughed.
- But, baby! So it's all a scam. A wonderful deception invented by mother nature. Look at this plum. After all, she is also deceiving. She pretends to be more beautiful than she turns out to be. It would be disgusting if love had anything to do with truth. Thank God, after all, not everyone can subjugate these accursed moralists. I got up:
“So you think that without some deceit there is no love at all?” - Not at all, baby.
- Yes, but it can seem overly funny. Lenz grinned.
- Note to yourself, boy: never, never and never will a woman find it funny who does something for her sake. Be it even the most vulgar comedy. Do what you want - stand on your head, talk the most stupid nonsense, brag like a peacock, sing under her window, but avoid only one thing - do not be businesslike! Don't be sane!"

In an attempt to make ends meet, friends repair cars after an accident, resell cars, and also do cabs. This helps little and one day, when things get really bad, they sell one of the cars that belonged to them. At the same time, protests by workers demanding work break out in Germany. During one of these performances, Gottfried is killed right in front of Otto and Robert. Inconsolable friends bury Lenz, sell the workshop and look for the offender to take revenge. However, their friend Alfons, comrade Lenz, takes revenge on him. At the same time, friends receive a telegram from Pat, who asks them to come to her as soon as possible. Friends immediately arrive at Pat's sanatorium and learn that she has only a short time to live. Despite the lack of money, Robert stays with Pat until the end, supporting her and trying to live the rest of the time together.

Remarque's "Three Comrades" ends with Pat's death scene.

Meaning
Remarque describes the representatives of the generation of Germans who went through the war and live in its ghosts: they saw the death of friends and enemies, did not understand why they fought, did not know what to strive for and what to want from life, except for survival. Heavy military everyday life rallied friends who are ready to do everything for each other. Despite the difficult economic situation, friends try to support each other until the very end.

"So I sat for a long time, thinking about all sorts of things. I remembered what we were then, returning from the war - young and faithless, like miners from a collapsed mine. We wanted to fight against everything that determined our past - against lies and selfishness, selfishness and heartlessness; we became hardened and did not trust anyone except our closest comrade, did not believe in anything except such forces that never deceive us, like heaven, tobacco, trees, bread and earth; but what came of it? Everything collapsed, falsified and forgotten. And for those who did not know how to forget, there remained only impotence, despair, indifference and vodka. The time of great human courageous dreams has passed. Dealers triumphed. Corruption. Poverty. "

Conclusion
Remarque liked the book "Three Comrades" very much. He experienced it as if it was not a work of art, but the most real truth of life. I can't help but note also the intersections with the novel by the same author. Reading the novel "Three Comrades" by Remarque is a must!

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"Three Comrades" - a novel written in 1936, belongs to the list of the "Golden Fund of World Literature of the 20th Century". It is included in Remarque's trilogy about the "lost generation" along with the novels "On western front no change" and "Return". The story that Remarque created in the work "Three Comrades" summary which allows you to find out the main plot twists and issues, remains relevant today.

1. Otto Kester is a thoughtful man, pedantic, calm, a former pilot. In the novel, he owns a workshop where his friends work. He always helps his friends out of trouble, helps them solve problems.
2. Gottfried Lenz is a cheerful man who is always in a good mood. Likes to talk, joke and have a good time. In the novel, his life is cut short at a fascist rally: he is hit by a random bullet.
3. Robert Lokamp is a former soldier who survived World War I. Without a profession and education, he changes jobs, not lingering on them for too long. Robert cannot come to terms with the past, constantly remembers the war years. Because of the war, he does not have a permanent job, home and family, he often thinks about it. He is transformed by a girl - Patricia, with whom he falls in love. These relationships change his outlook and character.
4. Patricia Holman is Lokamp's lover. She is very beautiful, smart, open to new experiences and people. Likes to relax, joke, have a good time. She is mortally ill with tuberculosis, but this did not break Patricia: she was able to maintain her fortitude during this illness and follow her principles until the end of her life.

Through the relationship of these heroes, Erich Maria Remarque reveals the theme of the “lost generation”: generations of people who went to war at a young age and lost the opportunity to form as a person, start a family, develop character resilience.

Summary by chapter

The novel has a total of 28 chapters, each of which represents a completed piece of history.

Note! It is conditionally possible to divide the narrative into three parts: the beginning of the development of events, the climax and the end.

A brief retelling will help you quickly understand the topic.

The story takes place in the late 1920s in post-war Germany. All around devastation, lack of jobs. People are trying to get their own food in any way, protests break out on the streets from time to time.

Initial chapters

Three friends who returned from the war are trying to find themselves and settle in a new world. They repair and resell used cars.

The story begins with Robert Lokamp turning 30 years old. He is sad for the lost opportunities, remembers his life and realizes that he has not achieved anything. He drowns out the longing in his soul with alcohol.

In turn, he recalls all the years of his life: how he was called up for service at the age of 18, the revolution after the war and famine, arrests, the death of his mother, attempts to build a life in a post-war society. At the beginning of the story, all this was left in the past, life improved as much as it was possible under those conditions.

In the evening, friends go to the races, where they take part. There they meet a girl named Patricia Holman, the action is transferred to a tavern, where men drink and chat with a new acquaintance. New acquaintances talk all night, share their memories, discuss various topics. All the men liked Patricia very much, especially Robert, who felt attracted to her.

Middle of the story

The next morning, Robert thinks about his new acquaintance all the time. He remembers last night and replays all the conversations in his head to understand how Patricia feels for him.

Readers get acquainted with the place where he lives - Frau Zalewski's boarding house, his neighbors. Together with Robert, the childless spouses Hasse live in the house, who constantly swear because of a lack of money, Count Orlov, who misses his homeland and has no relatives and friends in a foreign country.

There also lives the widow Bender, who lost two children in the war, the student Blok, who never has a job and always wants to eat. This place symbolizes in the novel a haven of people who hold on to the past and do not think about the future: all residents are united by the lack of a permanent place in life, thoughts about the past, problems in the present.

Robert gathers courage and calls Patricia, asking her out on a date. But during the meeting, he is timid, unable to keep up the conversation and gets drunk from the experience. At home, he realizes that he behaved inappropriately, on the advice of a friend, he sends flowers to the girl. The next day, he apologizes and takes the girl on a second date. They have a good time, ride a car, talk a lot. They have fun in the amusement park, find a lot in common, feel the kinship of souls. Robert gets the feeling that he has known Patricia not for 2 days, but for many years.

Over time, young people realize that they are in love. Friends gladly accept Patricia into their circle. Robert has the illusion that everything is starting to improve: he successfully sells one car, gets some money, he develops a relationship with a girl, they go on vacation to the sea.

The lovers spend the first days together, walking and talking a lot. Robert is fascinated by Patricia, her love of life and her desire to do whatever you want, not to be attached to anything. He admires the character and behavior of the girl.

Patricia's disease

The euphoria of happiness is interrupted by Patricia's illness - it turns out that she has long been ill with tuberculosis. She becomes ill one day - bleeding opens. The girl is sent to the hospital.

The friends find Dr. Jaffe, who is treating Pat. He says that it can be cured if you follow the regime and all the recommendations. The doctor advises to go to a sanatorium in Switzerland, where the girl is best suited for the climate and conditions.

Simultaneously with these events, problems arise in the workshop, the men make the difficult decision to sell their small business. Fascist rallies are raging on the streets. From time to time, uprisings rise in the city, henchmen of fascism walk along the streets. Robert does not care about politics, he is treating his beloved. Lenz regularly attends rallies, at one of the meetings in a street shootout a bullet hits him, and he dies. Friends find the killer and take revenge.

Completion of the story

Robert is trying to find money for the treatment of the girl, he is helped by friends with the proceeds from the sale of his favorite cars. The man understands that this is a very big sacrifice on their part, but he cannot refuse.

Patricia is getting worse, but she claims that she does not want to spend time in sadness and longing. She is in a good mood, positive attitude, still loves life and communication. The girl does not lose hope.

Young people talk a lot, joke, discuss their feelings, remember the short time they spent together. Patricia is slowly dying, Robert was by her side until the last minute, reassured her and listened. In the last minutes, his beloved did not recognize him.

Problems of the work: a brief analysis

Erich Maria Remarque shows how the war created a lost generation of young people who, after returning from the war, cannot find their place in life. They have returned home to a state that is in decline and economic recession as a result of the defeat in the war. The state of the country creates many problems for the heroes: the need to constantly look for work, pay for housing, treatment. The main problems that are revealed against the background of all this:

1. Post-war depression, which concerns not only social standards, but also the people who live in the country.
2. The hopelessness that has become a part of the life of all the heroes: Pat's illness, Robert's difficulties. Fate constantly tests them with its blows, the heroes sacrifice something, lose something.
3. The problem of losing loved ones. It is relevant both for the war and for the post-war society, everyone experiences this loss in different ways.
4. The key issue is friendship. Friends support each other, help in difficult times, donate a lot. It is thanks to these feelings that they feel alive, reveal themselves from the very beginning. better side. Revenge for the death of a friend, selling a business for help close person- these actions testify to the reality of the feelings of the characters, and their willingness to share the most precious.
5. The problem of fascism, a political issue, is also touched upon in the novel. Events develop against the backdrop of the establishment of a dictatorship, the characters have different attitudes to the riots in the street, but this applies to each of them. Lenz even dies in a random shootout.

Important! The novel "Three Comrades" is deep and multifaceted, it tells about friendship, love, war, faith and its loss.

It begins optimistically - in front of readers are heroes who drink a lot, joke and talk. They spend their lives carefree and enjoy every moment.

But the essence of this lifestyle is gradually revealed - people hide their souls, their fears from the past and experiences behind the festivities. Each of the characters has its own history associated with losses and war. And such a way of life is a screen behind which they try to hide their real selves.

Erich Remarque began writing "Three Comrades" in 1932. In 1936, the work was completed and the novel was published by a Danish publishing house. It was translated into Russian only in 1958. A careful reading of the novel "Three Comrades" (Remarque), analysis of the work allows us to reveal its problems. The author develops the theme of the “lost generation” in it. The ghosts of the past continue to haunt people who have gone through the war for the rest of their lives.

I- VIIchapters

The war (World War I) has long ended. In a crisis. Both souls and destinies of people are completely crippled. Three comrades at school, and then at the front - Gottfried Lenz, Robert Lockman, Otto Kester - work in the same workshop. They do car repairs. Robert has a birthday, he turns 30 years old. He recalls his past: his childhood and school years, the call to war in 1916, the wounding of Kester, the death of many fellow soldiers. In 1919 there was a putsch. Both of Robert's friends are arrested. Next - inflation and hunger. Returning home, Robert changed several professions: he was first a student, worked as a pilot, then as a racer, and, in the end, bought his own car repair shop. Friends became his partners. The profit is small, but allows you to live more or less normally. However, the past does not let go of comrades. They find oblivion in vodka. Lenz and Kester got a few bottles of rum, but they will celebrate the holiday after work. Friends bought and equipped it with a powerful engine. They drove their "Karl" to the track to have fun: they let expensive cars pass, and then easily overtook them. When friends stopped to order dinner, a Buick pulled up to them. The passenger of the car turned out to be Patricia Holman. She took part in a fun feast. Robert rents a furnished room in a boarding house. After the holiday, he returns there. Among his neighbors are Count Orlov, the wife of Hasse, Georg Blok, who dreams of becoming a student. They are all very different, but they help each other as best they can. Robert asks Pat out on a date. They go to a bar. Robert's conversation with Pat only began after a large amount of rum.

He escorts her home, and he returns to Fred, the owner of the bar, and gets drunk even more. Lenz advises sending Pat a bouquet of roses as an apology. Robert comes to his senses and thinks about life. He remembers how they returned from the war: deprived of faith in anything. Robert and Pat meet again. On a deserted street, he teaches her how to drive. They then find Lenz at a bar and head to a holiday park together. Two owners of rides for throwing rings on hooks win absolutely all the prizes. Friends distribute everything except wine and a frying pan.

E. M. Remarque "Three Comrades": a summaryVIII- XIVchapters

Kester signed up "Karl" to race. Despite the joking of rivals, friends win. The bartender Alphonse invites them to celebrate for free. Robert and Pat quietly leave. She stays overnight at Lokman's. Work became difficult. Friends buy a taxi at an auction and take passengers in turn. Pat invites Robert to his place. Once the apartment belonged to her family, but now she rents only two rooms there. Pat talks about himself. Robert manages to sell the Cadillac repaired by him to the businessman Blumenthal very profitably.

E. M. Remarque "Three Comrades": a summaryXV- XXIchapters

A successful deal allows Robert to take a two-week vacation and go with Pat to the sea. During the rest she became ill. The house started bleeding. She has been in the hospital for two weeks. Jaffe, who is treated by Dr. Pat, insists on additional treatment in a sanatorium. Robert gave her a thoroughbred puppy - a gift from taxi driver Gustav. There are very few passengers, that is, money.

Gustav dragged Robert to the races and he miraculously won. Friends are preparing "Karl" for the race. They also recaptured a car from 4 brothers, which had an accident, but needs to be repaired. Robert goes with Pat for a week in the mountains.

E. M. Remarque "Three Comrades": a summaryXXII- XXVIIIchapters

Robert returns home, and there is a new trouble. The owner of the stolen car went bankrupt, and all his property went under the hammer. Including this car. And since he was not insured, then his friends will not receive anything from the insurance company. Their workshop was also put up for auction. Pat was put on bed rest. Robert gets drunk out of desperation. Rally in the city. Lenz went there in the morning and still hasn't returned. Otto and Robert find him. A young man speaks at the rally with fascist slogans. As the friends leave, four guys suddenly appear, one of whom shoots Lenz and kills him. Alphonse volunteers to help find the bastard. He finds him and kills him. Kester and Robert go to a sanatorium. Pat was let out for a walk, but she's no better. She knows about it, and her friends know, but everyone is silent. She is not told about Lenz's death. Kester leaves while Robert stays with Pat. She dreams of being happy at least for the rest of her time. In March, landslides began in the mountains. Pat gets worse, she can't get up anymore. She died before dawn. It was painful and difficult to leave. Pat squeezed Robert's hand, but she didn't recognize it anymore. A new day will come without her.

"Three Comrades" tells about the friendship of three friends who, in the post-war years, show all their dedication in order to preserve it. The feeling of mutual help and support for each other is very well described by the author of "Three Comrades" (summary), where, despite any obstacles in life, friends do not despair and are ready to support not only each other, but also those who need their help.

Robert Lokamp, ​​Otto Kester and Gottfried Lenz have been inseparable friends since their school days. Together they also passed. After graduation, they decide to open their own auto repair shop. Even if the salary is small, it was enough to live on. Memories of the past war sometimes did not leave friends, and often they remembered the dead comrades.

The proud property of friends was the car they purchased, which they called "Karl". Sometimes, rolling along the roads, they had fun on it, periodically overtaking other cars. In one of these "distillations" they meet Patricia Holman, who later becomes part of their company. Soon her friends called her Pat for short. Robert liked Patricia and from time to time invited her to dinner. Although he somehow lacked the courage to start a conversation, but spending time in a bar, he gained courage with the help of alcohol. Robert shows affection to Patricia all the time, such as teaching her how to drive. In this regard, Robert was helped by his friends, sending her flowers on his behalf. When they go to the amusement park, they win all kinds of prizes there, surrounding themselves with a crowd of fans.

Soon, Kester, a master of auto racing, signs up to participate in races where the Nutcracker was the main competitor of "Karl". After painstaking work, the car was ready for the race and everyone was waiting for victory. And she was. For some time, their company gained popularity after the victory. Robert and Patricia gradually became close to each other, meeting frequently and secluding each other.

Due to the lack of a permanent income, friends decide to buy a taxi at an auction and take turns earning money on it. While working as a taxi driver, Robert meets Gustav. Later, Robert visits Patricia's apartment for the first time. In a conversation, she told Robert about her past and that she was alone in this world.

A little later, Robert profitably sold the refurbished Cadillac. His friends were very happy with this deal. After that, Robert and Patricia go on vacation to the sea. There, lying on the beach, Robert remembers his colleagues, with whom he also spent time on the seashore. During one of the evening walks in the car, Patricia becomes ill, and the next day she started bleeding. Friends find Dr. Jaffe, who undertakes to treat her.

So that Patricia does not get bored during her illness, Robert brings her a puppy - a gift from his friend Gustav. Working as a taxi does not bring any profit and Gustav invites Robert to go to the races, where he wins. "Karl" began to prepare for races again in order to earn even more money.

The cold season has come. Jaffe asks Robert to immediately send Patricia to the mountains, where his friend will take care of her. They stayed there for a week. Soon, due to debts, friends have to sell their auto repair shop. Soon, Robert also learns that Patricia's condition is deteriorating and he gets drunk with grief. But Kester comes to the rescue and helps him calm down.

Lenz goes to the demonstration. Robert and Kester go looking for him. At the rally there was the usual fascist propaganda, where promises rained down on people. Friends find Lenz, but when they leave, they shoot at him and he dies. Kester rushes to find the killer. But soon the killer was punished. Then a telegram was received from Patricia asking her to come as soon as possible. On their "Karl" Robert and Kester came to Patricia. The doctor began to comfort them, talking about the miraculous recovery of patients, but for friends such consolations were familiar.

Patricia knows she doesn't have long, but she tries to hide it from her friends. Friends have yet to say anything about the murder of Lentz. Soon Kester leaves and after a while sends money. Robert realizes that "Karl" is sold. Robert's despair knew no bounds. Robert spends more time with Patricia, allowing her to enjoy moments of happiness in the short remaining time. But every day she was getting weaker. She died soon after.

This is how Remarque presented the plot “Three Comrades” (summary), where he left an excellent standard of friendship and mutual assistance for generations.