Final answer:
World War I literature portrays the betrayal and absurdity faced by soldiers, painting a harrowing picture of war's reality. The sense of luck for soldiers stemmed from survival in a conflict where skill and bravery often meant little against the randomness of mechanized warfare. The limited details on Butch prevent a comprehensive narrative about his fate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Throughout various literary accounts of World War I, soldiers' experiences are depicted not with the traditional glorification of war, but with stark realism highlighting their psychological and physical sufferings. Authors like Erich Maria Remarque and Ernest Hemingway conveyed the disillusionment and betrayal felt by many soldiers who entered the war with notions of heroism and chivalry, only to encounter the horrific realities of trench warfare and the impersonal, mechanized nature of combat. The idealistic visions of warfare were shattered, exposing the absurdity of such romanticized notions. Soldiers like the one mentioned in various passages, experienced a sense of luck in mere survival despite the harsh conditions and high likelihood of injury or death.
The German soldier mentioned may consider himself lucky because, despite his psychological ailments like depression or the loss of a limb, he survived when many did not. The narrative of Butch, the American soldier's friend, is not fully detailed in the provided information, but the mention of soldiers like George—a machine gunner taken prisoner—suggest how brutal and life-changing the experiences of individual soldiers were during the war. The fact that physical bravery or combat skill seemed inconsequential in the face of random artillery shells or orders to 'go over the top' meant that soldiers' survival often felt like a mere stroke of luck.