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Paul Bäumer
The former schoolteacher of Paul¸ Albert Kropp, Leer, and Joseph Behm. Kantorek pressured his students to enlist in the army and inspired them with nationalist rhetoric. Paul and his friends had trusted Kantorek because to them he appeared cultured and civilized, but what they found most persuasive about him was the “idea of authority” that he represented. Interestingly, Paul notes that it was members of the educated upper classes like Kantorek who were most in favor of the war, while poor and simple people were the most opposed.
Kantorek Quotes in All Quiet on the Western Front
The All Quiet on the Western Front quotes below are all either spoken by Kantorek or refer to Kantorek. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best—in a way that cost them nothing. And that is why they let us down so badly. For us lads of eighteen they ought to have been mediators and guides to the world of maturity, the world of work, of duty, of culture, of progress—to the future…The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds with a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief. We had to recognize that our generation was more to be trusted than theirs.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Kantorek Quotes in All Quiet on the Western Front
The All Quiet on the Western Front quotes below are all either spoken by Kantorek or refer to Kantorek. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best—in a way that cost them nothing. And that is why they let us down so badly. For us lads of eighteen they ought to have been mediators and guides to the world of maturity, the world of work, of duty, of culture, of progress—to the future…The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds with a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief. We had to recognize that our generation was more to be trusted than theirs.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
