"I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that the gentleness is to be expected only from the strong." (Rosten) It is evident in life that those who lack the confidence within themselves to be themselves and nobody else end up naturally wicked. On the other hand, it is the generosity and compassion in people that allow them to be stronger in life. In Remarque's novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Corporal Himmelstoss, commander of the "Iron Youth," demonstrates his constant brutality against he soldiers when he punishes Paul Baumer and the rest of the soldiers for every slight mistake they make. However, as the story progresses, Himmelstoss cowardly hesitates to fight along side his troops on the Western Front, which brings out the weakness inside of him. Through the use of his appearance, character words and what the narrator says about him, Himmelstoss's personality is revealed. .
Being small throughout your whole life is something no one wants to go through. For example, many of Himmelstoss's frustrations came about because of his size. "He has the size of a small undersized fellow with a foxy, waxed mustache." (23) Someone who has the unfortunate disadvantage of being short will almost always be made fun of by others. By trying to get even, Himmelstoss reveals that he is the kind of person that must always get revenge on other people. In addition, you would expect a leader to be big and strong, but Himmelstoss was the exact opposite. "He had seen twelve years" service and was in civil life, a postman." (23). Everyone had picked on Himmelstoss, which added more stress and anger to his life. It is ironic how one can go from being a postal worker, which was one of the lower jobs on the pyramid, to a Corporal in the military. Obviously it is not Himmelstoss's fault for being undersized, but for all of the punishments he made the men go through, he definitely deserved to be mistreated.