What is the role of Corporal Himmelstoss?

Corporal Himmelstoss, usually just referred to as Himmelstoss, is a character from Erich Maria Remarque’s famous novel All Quiet on the Western Front. He also enforces strict, nonsensical punishments – which you’ll see soon – so it’s no wonder Himmelstoss is loathed by those under him.

How does Paul feel about Himmelstoss?

Paul explains that Tjaden holds a grudge against Himmelstoss. Tjaden is a bed wetter, and during training, Himmelstoss set out to break him of this habit, which he attributed to laziness. He found another bed wetter, Kindervater, and forced them to sleep in the same set of bunk beds. Every night, they traded places.

What Himmelstoss means?

Himmelstoss is just such a figure: an unthreatening postman before the war, he evolves into the “terror of Klosterberg,” the most feared disciplinarian in the training camps. At this stage of the novel, Himmelstoss represents the meanest, pettiest, most loathsome aspects of humanity that war draws out.

How does Himmelstoss abuse his power?

As the leader of basic training, he abuses and humiliates the men under his command: he makes them stand in the freezing cold without gloves, he antagonizes and needlessly punishes Tjaden for wetting the bed, and makes the men do menial, repetitive tasks.

How does Himmelstoss react in battle?

How does Himmelstoss react in battle? He panics. He gets a small scratch and pretends to be more seriously wounded so that he might not have to leave the trench, but Paul comes to get him. Paul gets mad that the young recruits should be out there while Himmelstoss is cowering in a corner even as a Corporal.

Why does Kropp call the new soldiers infants?

Kropp jokes, “Seen the infants?” (3.1) – meaning the new recruits, who are two years younger than Paul and his pals. Kat jokes about the scarcity of decent food and promises an upgrade to current fare.

Is Himmelstoss a teacher?

A noncommissioned training officer. Before the war, Himmelstoss was a postman. After he experiences the horrors of trench warfare, however, he tries to make amends with them.

What was Himmelstoss job before the war?

Before the war, Himmelstoss was a postman. He is a petty, power-hungry little man who torments Paul and his friends during their training. After he experiences the horrors of trench warfare, however, he tries to make amends with them.

Who is Kemmerich in all quiet?

Franz Kemmerich is a character from Erich Maria Remarque’s novel All Quiet on the Western Front, which tells in graphic detail the horrors one young man faces during World War I. Kemmerich is a boyish young man and schoolfriend of the narrator, Paul.

What happens to Paul when he gets stuck in no man’s land?

Paul volunteers to crawl into No Man’s Land to gather information about the enemy’s strength. An enemy soldier jumps into the shell hole with him, and Paul quickly stabs him. It is too light outside for Paul to make his way back, so he is forced to wait in the shell hole with the body.

Who was Corporal Himmelstoss in All Quiet on the Western Front?

A postman in civilian life, Corporal Himmelstoss abuses young recruits in his wartime role as a trainer at boot camp. He was particularly cruel to Tjaden, a bedwetter, whom Himmelstoss made share a bed… read analysis of Corporal Himmelstoss One of Paul’s classmates.

How is Corporal Himmelstoss a dynamic character?

Himmelstoss, however, is a dynamic character: after he is moved to a combat position at the front and experiences the horrors of trench warfare, he softens up and tries to make amends with the men he had terrorized at boot camp.

How did Corporal Himmelstoss prepare for the war?

Though the men hate him, Himmelstoss’s cruelty may have prepared them perfectly for the war, teaching them camaraderie amidst unfair circumstances. He would like most to set us all on the run again. But he seems to have learned already that the frontline isn’t a parade ground. Here, Paul notes a change in Himmelstoss, who arrives at the front.

Why was Himmelstoss so cruel to his recruits?

Himmelstoss is extremely cruel to his recruits, forcing them to obey ridiculous and dangerous orders simply because he enjoys bullying them. Himmelstoss forces his men to stand outside with no gloves on during a hard frost, risking frostbite that could lead to the amputation of a finger or the loss of a hand.