In the Novel all Quiet on the Western Front

In the novel All Quiet On the Western Front, author Erich Maria Remarque describes the flat character Kantorek to emphasize the round character Paul B?¤umer's negative feelings about fighting in the war. By only showing ideas of gaining honor Kantorek is fighting for the fatherland, an abrupt contrast is made of advertised ideas and publicly of the war and the view of the soldiers in the war. Because of nationalistic propaganda from the people back home, just like Kantorek the regular citizens saw the war as heroic and exciting. In the mean time soldiers are survivalist and weakened by the fighting of war. This divergence indicates how the soldiers feel betrayed by the wrong ideas of fighting in war.

In the beginning of the book, Kantorek writes a letter to the boys claiming that they are the iron youth. The difference is a statement of strength. The iron youth phrase is employed by Kantorek to say thanks to the boys for enlisting in the war. It's very loyal to the country, because he indicates that the people back home are proud of the men that are fighting in the war. Born and raised in their hometown Germany must be very strong like metal. Although, the iron youth don't feel strong at all when Remarque writes, Suddenly little Kropp throws his cigarette away, stamps on it savagely, and looking around him with a broken and distracted face, stammers Damned shit, the damned shit!' (Remarque 18).

When saying phrases like broken and distracted face, and little Kropp. Little makes Kropp seem like a small boy, and has a weak meaning. Remarque explains how the soldiers are not the brave, confident soldiers that Kantorek explained them as. Broken and distracted suggest that the soldiers are not heroic but that regular citizens see them as boys and men who have all are going through the hard, tragic war together.

Later in the book, Kantorek's constant preaching is more described when Paul thinks, During drill-time Kantorek gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went, under his shepherding, to the District Commandant and volunteered. I can see him now, as he used to glare at us through his spectacles and say in a moving voice: Won't you join up comrades?' (Remarque 11). Instead of warning anyone about the dangers and what war would do to you, Kantorek talked to his students about how great it is to fight for the fatherland. He made all of his students volunteer for the war because he loved the honor of war so much.

Although, Kantorek's speeches about the war he loved, turned out to be much different then what the students thought of it. Paul states, There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that there was only one way of doing well, and that way theirs. And that is just why they let us down so badly, (Remarque 12). The differences in his tones show how different their two attitudes are. Won't you join up comrades? is such a nicer tone then Let us down so badly. The first phrase feels all happy and hopeful while the second phrase is all mean and regretful. The contrast between Kantorek's nationalistic phrases and Paul's actual reality of war is what makes him feel so let down. He ends up with the dirty reality of trench warfare when he thinks and hopes its going to be a honorable war.

The difference in the war described by the propaganda versus the real war is brought up again when Paul realizes, While they continued to write and talk, we saw the wounded and dying. While they taught that the duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we knew that the death-throes are stronger. Compared to Kantorek preaching about how amazing and great the war is, Paul's statement is much different. He knows first hand that the death-throes, are way more important then the country. This quote shows that one of the men would rather be alive and stay alive then die with honor. The idea if dying scares then so much more then even fighting in war, overall the death-throes are stronger.

Lastly in chapter ten, Paul thinks about the real horror of war and thinks this:
A man cannot realize that above such shattered bodies there are still human faces in which life goes its daily round. And this is only one hospital, one single station; there are hundreds of thousands in Germany, hundreds of thousands in France, hundreds of thousands in Russia. How senseless is everything that can ever be written, done, or thought when such things are possible. It must all be lies and of no account when the culture of a thousand years could not prevent this stream of blood being poured out, these torture-chambers in their hundreds of thousands. A hospital alone shows what war is. (Remarque 263)

This quote really shows how big of a toll war life can give, and how soldiers know it but don't want to. Paul realizes this when he counts how many hospitals there are (hundreds of thousands). At this time war doesn't sound like an honor at all, it just sounds like a horrible defeat. The sentence A hospital alone shows what war is, shows the difference between Kanorek and the soldiers. Kantorek always described them as the iron youth and believed that there was nothing better then fighting in the fatherland. Over all Paul thinks a hospital in the closest thing to a war. In a hospital people are dying every day, just like war.

This quote didn't only highlight how Paul has lost hope of anything involving war, but also took many lives from the war. The quote how senseless is everything that can ever be written shows and explains that nothing will ever come close to compare the horror and awful consequences from the war.

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