Kantorek's All Quiet On The Western Front

Paul, the narrator, draws the stark contrast between the poor and the rich. He suggests that while the ones better off in life seem delighted at the idea of war, those that have suffered know the futility of war and know more about its consequences than the rich. Shouldn't the rich, with their money and information be the ones who better understands the dread and trauma war brings? Information on the war was scarce, and while no one really understood what the war had really meant yet, going to war was seen as the more 'honorable' route; so much so that even parents were quick to taunt their children for not coming to the immediate decision to valiantly serve their country. Readers see Paul begin to question whether serving in the war could …show more content…
Paul understands that Kantorek thought that he was doing the right thing, and without thousands of Kantorek's who would be fighting in the war? Aren't thousands of Kantorek's necessary to a worthy cause? Paul says that he is 'let down' in the essence that, at the time, Kantorek was seen as a hero, convincing young teens to join the army, and afterwards Paul realizes that Kantorek was only doing what he believed to be was the 'right thing' for the reason that it held no real consequence. The ones fighting in the war alongside Paul are the real heroes, not Kantorek. All Quiet on the Western Front shows traditional authority in a different light; that oftentimes those that receive praise for their actions are undeserving of it. While Kantorek is not a traditional villain, he is certainly passively evil. Many aspiring teenage students had a full life ahead of them and were instead persuaded by Kantorek to fight in the war. From Kantorek's viewpoint he may truly have believed that he was doing the right thing, but that does not excuse the deaths of Paul's …show more content…
The older men have whole lives and experience they're just waiting to get back to, but Paul (and his friends) don't have that luxury. Kantorek, their teacher, paints the idea that they have not yet have taken a hold of life just yet; however, the war almost seems to take those opportunities away. For Paul's group, war is all they've known and they have no idea when the war will actually end. Not to mention whether or not they will even survive the war. The experiences they go through most definitely shapes their personalities as well as how they view life itself. While the older men of the war have something to motivate them to survive the war, such as family, Paul and his comrades have no such