who is kantorek
Paul recalls his schoolmaster, Kantorek, a fiercely patriotic man who persuaded many of Paulâs friends to enlist as volunteers to prove their patriotism. Joseph Behm, one such young man, was hesitant but eventually gave in to Kantorekâs unrelenting pressure. He was one of the first to die, and his death was particularly horrible. With Behmâs death, Paul and his classmates lost their innocent trust in authority figures such as Kantorek.