Why is kat so imoptant to paul and the others in All Quiet on the Western Front?
Symbolically, Kat is the first truly good and honest teacher the boys have had. Both Kantorek and Himmelstoss maintained strong authoritarian positions and symbolized the sort of blind nationalism that was running rampant throughout the homefront. Kat, though a figure that Paul looks up to for guidance, is technically on his level, and helps the boys to confront the cruel realities of war. He’s an old hand; he’s the embodiment of one of two options for Paul’s future. Paul can live and become an experienced soldier helping the younger recruits (as we see him begin to do as the novel progresses), or he can take the opposite road and die young and helpless like Kemmerich. Either way, his future is entrenched (no pun intended) in the war.
