All Quiet on the Western Front: Corruption of Power theme Essay

Power. The word itself instigates a conundrum of fear and attraction. The attraction for it, the attraction for to a greater extent(prenominal), and the attraction for seeking the strong highest boundary of it. Those who thirst for it see visions of wealth, vast expansions territory, and above all, the ability to do some(prenominal) one and only(a) wants whenever he wants. And those who thirst for it will seek it through whatever means necessary, whether it be a fistfight or a war. Necessity is the basic derivation for all hostility and aggression therefore, ability, and its corruption, is the source of all war. such corruption is exemplified in the World War I novel, All Quiet On the Western Front, by Erich Remarque, through the eyes of the platoon leader, of the military officials, and of the highest direct of power in Germany at the time, the Kaiser.The bottommost aim of power represented in All Quiet On the Western Front is the platoon leader, who is given a run of soldi ers to bully around under his abusive authority. The authority figure in the novel is Corporal Himmelstoss, who is to train the newly enlisted soldiers in the ways of war. He is exposit as a semblance of Louis Napoleon in the novel a small undersized fellow with a foxy, waxed moustache (Remarque 23). Immediately the comment of Himmelstoss triggers an image of a short, power-hungry figure, the figure that suffers from what many refer to as small-mans syndrome. His image is further emphasized in the statement He had a supererogatory dislike of Kropp, Tjaden, Westhus, and me, because he perceived a quiet defiance (Remarque 23). Himmelstosss dislike for these soldiers is not directly related to the fact that he supposedly sensed defiance, but more so to his will to push the soldiers around.He focuses his efforts on Tjaden, the skinny locksmithwho is and always will be as thin as a rake (Remarque 2-3). To make up for his lack of size and strength, Himmelstoss attacks the thinnest, sol dier of the pack, who he assumes to be the weakest. However, when Himmelstoss loses his position of authority, he is not so brave. In the Front, during invasion, capital of Minnesota Bamer finds Himmelstoss in the dug-out pretending to be wounded. His face looks sullen. He is in a panicHe does not stir, his lips quiver, his moustache twitches (Remarque 131). Himmelstoss is not a right man on his own, but under the spell of a powerful position, he is corrupted, and abuses it todisguise his own weaknesses, allowing him to gain some form of power.The next level in the military edifice of power lies in the competitive military officials. With the increased level of power comes an increased level of corruptionand an increased level of consequence. Himmelstoss may have instigated hostility, even hatred, from his platoon, but the corruption of a higher military official may result in deaths. In a expansive effort to continue the attack on France, mass drafts occur, and the officials imme diately send the untrained recruits to the front line. capital of Minnesota Bamer states that the recruits are helpless in this gentle fighting area, they fall like flies. Modern trench-warfare demands knowledge and experience (Remarque 129). The officials, in order to look good by fighting the war long and persistently, shiver these recruits into battle, where they fall like flies. The officials carry out this inhumanity again and again, but it is not only for the sake of looking good, but for the appetency of getting promoted, for the desire of gaining more power.The head of power in Germany, and therefore the one able to command all those below, is the Kaiser, Wilhelm II. His position is so incredibly grand and authoritative, that he is seen close to as a form of deity. When Paul Bamer sees the Kaiser in person, he is really rather disappointed judging from his pictures I imagined him to be bigger and more powerfully built, and above all to have a thundering voice (Remarque 2 02). This false impression of his emphasizes the disguise of power. Under his disguise, the Kaiser is viewed as giant, mighty warrior enthroned with gold and silver. In reality, he is a man unlike any other man in power, greedy and vicious. A man so powerful, Tjaden believes he has everything he cease want already (Remarque 205). If he has everything he can want, why does he persist in the war? There is no limit to his demand for power, and so he pushes his officials further into battle, as they push their soldiers further into bloodshed.The war Wilhelm II creates is not only devastating physically, but instigates what is known as the lost generation. Paul Bamer describes his experience, being lost because of the war. He will never be able to be indifferent and hopeless again. He was a soldier, and now he is nothing but an agony for himself (Remarque 185). His well-off life wasthrown away in the war and gave way to an indifferent automata, and after his leave, he is emotionally in between war and life, in No Mans Land. An entire generation of soldiers, of human beings, of lives, is destroyed through emotion and severe disturbance. And for what? For Kaiser Wilhelm II to seek that highest boundary of power.Power is a recurrent theme in All Quiet On the Western Front, in three different levels the mindless soldier, the aspiring military official, and the boundless Kaiser. Each one desperately seeks power in an effort to make themselves appear stronger. The quest for this is usually a corrupted one, and corruption creates consequence. The more power one acquires, the more devastating the consequence. When, if at all, will the quest for power end? The corruption is inevitable.