All Quiet on the Western Front

Kemmerich's boots hold a great deal of symbolism. Boots are in high demand: a symbol of how poorly the German army is outfitted by the country. Boots get passed around from soldier to soldier after one dies: another symbol of frequent mortality in war. Kemmerick took them from a fallen airman. In many ways, the boots come to represent the cheapness of life. People are more desposable than the boots are.