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:
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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:
Paul Bäumer (speaker), Kantorek
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Kantorek Character Timeline in All Quiet on the Western Front
The timeline below shows where the character Kantorek appears in All Quiet on the Western Front. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...home. One of the soldiers, Albert Kropp, has received a letter from his former teacher, Kantorek. We learn that four of the men were schoolmates back in Germany: Paul; the clear-headed...
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Paul says that there were “thousands of Kantoreks” in Germany: people who believed they were doing the right thing by encouraging young men...
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...his cigarette and swearing. Müller tries to distract him by asking about the contents of Kantorek’s letter.
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Kropp tells them that Kantorek’s letter calls his former students the “Iron Youth,” a title that makes the men smile...
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Chapter 5
...out of twenty are either dead, wounded, or in a mad-house. The men then imitate Kantorek and quiz each other on scholarly knowledge, which they conclude is useless to them on...
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Chapter 7
Paul goes to visit Mittelstaedt at the barracks, and discovers that Kantorek has been given a role as a subordinate officer to Mittelstaedt. Mittelstaedt tells Paul that...
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