Essay on Katczinsky in 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

Stanislaus Katczinsky

He is resourceful (can scrounge up sustenance in remote places), efficient, smart, and reliable, the boys listen/look up to him and trust his judgment.

“I’m sure that if he were planted down in the middle of the desert, in half an hour he would have gathered together a supper of roast meat, dates, and wine.” (Remarque, {33})

[His words] cut clean through the thought. (page 54)

We see how in different situations, the boys look at him to see how things might go. He has been in the front far longer than them, they notice his mood changes while they are at the front and are usually accurate.

He hates the fact that they are making kids fight and lose their lives in a war they have no business in. He sees no use in it. “Give them the same grub and equal pay, the war would be over in a day(page 41)

Very smart, and says intellectual things for just a shoemaker. (page 43)

He likes to talk.

He and Paul are very close despite the age gap. The war doesn’t care about age. “A glance at Kat – a glance from him to me; understand one another.

He would let a solider of his pain but not a horse(63)

He still gets nervous (65)

Such a kid, young innocence (pg 73)

He cares for these boys as they are his. Paul has a son-like devotion to Kat

Towards the end, he becomes a bit more morbid.

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We do not hear much from him until he dies. He loses his love of talking perhaps.

He changes because he thinks too much. He thinks more deeply about the war and what it means and that makes him sad.

I connect to Kat in the sense that I too stop and think (too much) he detests the war and hates that young lives are being lost.

If he hadn't been made a nice officer, the theme of comradeship would have held less water. He is there to show an old person’s view of things, that they aren't all bad. It could have been a very old vs young theme. If he wasn’t smart or resourceful, he wouldn’t have held much respect from the boys, and wouldn’t have been close with Paul. Only after his death do we see that Paul really mourns, with out his character, we might have seen Paul as very indifferent to death, but he isn't, he has to be so he doesn’t go indane but he lets himself break for Kat.

Contributes to the theme of a senseless war and comradeship. The ideals of war, he fights with a heart like any of them, he has a great comfort with the ideals of war.

With his difference in age and maturity. the war has made them equals, brothers almost. He was some influence on there thoughts whenever whenever they talked about the war.

Character development and analysis

Chapters discussed: Chapters 1-11

Stanislaus ‘Kat’ Katczinsky is known for his intelligent mind and the father-like relationship he cultivates with the boys. He is respected as a leader among the men in his squad due to his height in age, maturity, and knowledge of the front. He is resourceful and reliable, hence why Paul acknowledges how lucky he is to have him at his back. Kat is very well-spoken as “[his words] cut clean through the thought.” (Remarque, 54), and his take on the war greatly influences what the other men think as they respect and trust his instincts. Kat is a scavenger; he can find food, clothes, and other necessary supplies in places others can’t. He has a sixth sense about the outcome of a battle, making him a treasured asset to Paul and the other boys. They follow his lead, like in the case of Ginger the cook. It took him challenging the cook to serve them their meal before the other men began to back him up in getting their fair share of rations.

Kat valued life and although he fought as was his duty, didn’t agree with the ideals of war. We see this within the conversation amongst the men about the senselessness of the war, and those who gain from the bloodshed. He says with contempt that “there must be some people to whom the war is useful.” (205). Having taken on a similar role of a guardian to the boys, it pained him to watch them lose their innocence and to see the war tear them apart inside out. As Paul said “[they] no longer young men...[they] were eighteen years old, and [they] had just begun to love the world and to love being in it, but we had to shoot at it. The first shell to land went straight for [their] hearts.” (88) We can tell how much Kat loves them, as he doesn’t refer to them as boys, but as comrades.

Kat’s character is developed throughout the book as his love of talking is seen less. It seems like the ‘kat’ got his tongue as the book progressed as there are fewer conversations he speaks in. This happened because he let the war and the hostility of it all get to him. They could cope with all the horror as long as they didn’t think about it much and relive the scenes in their heads. He got too deep in his thoughts, let them consume him and he lost his way a bit at the end. Seeing the boys die one by one throughout the war took a toll on him and he began to lose hope. His words become a lot more morbid towards the end.

Readers can easily connect with this character in the sense that sometimes when experiencing traumatic events, people tend to get in over their heads and start to brew hate from within, comparable to how Kat held the higher officials in great contempt. It could turn into an unhealthy spiral. Another factor in this character that makes him relatable is the way he takes Paul and the other boys under his wing. People have that hero instinct in them and always want to help the helpless. When they were first sent to the front, they must have been just like the recruits; clueless. Yet, Kat takes them not as subordinates but as equals and teaches them all they need to know to survive. Most readers, just like Kat, are against the ideals of having a war and wasting young lives.

Kat plays a huge influence on the novel’s theme. If he hadn’t been very dependable and helpful, Paul would have never made such a tight bond with him, weakening the story’s theme of the trenches bringing everyone down as equals. With all the time they spent together, Kat and Paul were able to form this unique bond that they wouldn’t have had otherwise if they had met outside of the war due to their age gap. Their unique friendship is obvious when Paul mentions “a glance at Kat – a glance from him to me; understand one another” (51). Another reason for his character was to contribute to the motif of a senseless war. He fights with heart and bravery just like the rest of them but is in great contempt for the people who started this war but are making the wrong people fight. He wished they weren’t forced to kill and die and thought if “[given] the same grub and equal pay, the war would be over in a day (41). He just wanted peace to reign over all the bloodshed and it is a shame he didn’t live to see it happen. Any difference in character could have had a different effect on the book. If he hadn’t been written to be kind of heart, the theme of comradeship would have held less water because he shows that friendship can be bred anywhere and among any type of person. Kat is there to show an old person’s view of the war, and that they aren’t all bad. It could have been a very ‘old vs young’ theme if he didn’t become close to Paul and his fellow soldiers. If he wasn’t smart or resourceful, he wouldn’t have held much respect from the boys, and wouldn’t have been close with Paul.

His death is an abrupt end to an already depressing chapter. By then, he seems to know he is dying as when Paul speaks of meeting again once the war is over, he doesn’t attempt to give an address or number. He makes no big profession of wisdom and his last words are just words. At war, the soldiers are left to leave their lives in the hands of Chance so they can’t prepare for their death, they don’t know their last words will be their last. With his sixth sense, he sensed his time had come and wanted to go in peace in a place where there was none. Paul might have learned to guard himself against his emotions, but it is obvious that Kat had left a mark in his life and he would do anything to get his friend back.