"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque.

Change Death is a scary thought. No body really wants to die, and no body can honestly admit they are not at least a little bit scared of it. Paul Baumer was. He was terrified of it. Death was an end for him, as it is for everybody, but death was not only an end, it was the end; the end to troubles, the end to blood, screaming, tears, and the end to war. Death …

…while gaining more "human animal" until he dies. The war had a great affect on him, making him grow up; however, it is death that had the greatest affect on his own life. Paul was forced to accept the deaths of his close friends at a young age. That acceptance led to maturity he was not ready for. It is death, above all, that had the most impact on the change in character of Paul.