Authority and legitimacy in All Quiet on the Western Front and Survival in Auschwitz

¶ … authority and legitimacy, leadership and trust in All Quiet on the Western Front and Survival in Auschwitz

All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque and "Survival in Auschwitz" by Primo Levi are two novels that due share some things that are in common because they are both war novels. For example, the novel All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the battle of the Germans during World War I. However, "Survival in Auschwitz "also a war novel is a book of how life in a concentration camp was. It is Primo Levi's story of being taken as an Italian partisan in December 1943 and shipped to Poland because he was a Jew. With that said, when it comes to similarities and dissimilarities, both "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque and "Survival in Auschwitz" displayed various forms of authority and legitimacy, leadership and trust by the way orders were giving and taken, bravery being able to stand strong in the test of time and knowing who and what a person could trust.

Authority

When it comes to authority, both books displayed this nature in many different ways. In All Quiet on the Western Front, having lust for power is what really made most of the authority figures much less mortal and this turned out to be a problem for instance, the question revives, more predominantly as he hears there's no more beer in the canteen. "It's not only Himmelstoss, there are lots of them. As sure as they get a stripe or a star they become different men, just as though they'd swallowed concrete." (3.54) Here, Paul was mentioning that authority figures generations that were older -- teachers, leaders and parents, for instance Kantorek -- needed to have been intelligent attendants to the future and that, as young men, the undeveloped fighters all had this assumption that in some strange way they would be. Authority in "Survival in Auschwitz" was different. Here, Levi had this belief that when provided command of his friends, the Jewish leader would basically in every case always misuses his power so that they can show skill for the position in addition to discharge their hatred for their oppressors onto their participants. Even though they never selected Levi to become a "prominenten," this did not make much of a difference because his skills as a chemist turned out to be his redeeming issue. Levi was picked to be one of the three Jewish prisoners selected to have a job in the chemistry laboratory in other part of the camp. Once more Levi denotes to his "fortune" when he mentions "So it would seem that fate has arranged that we three suffer neither hunger nor cold this winter" (Levi 140).

Legitimacy

When it comes to legitimacy the characters in the story (those that separate from political figures talked about) are all fictional, nonetheless most of things are founded on numerous soldiers that had served with them during World War I. The novel even though it is not real does seem to find a way to give an excellent, truthful account to this real war issue which sort of makes it legitimate. The book makes it real through Remarque's description of Paul Baumer. It makes it real because it gives a description in regards to the soldiers themselves, and bleak there life and future was because of the war. Remarque tries to make it real in order to convey the life of a young soldier whose life is in danger. The legitimacy in Survival in Auschwitz was not fiction but it was real. The author makes it real by showing every detail regardless how derailed it may have been. For instance, Levi uses his powerful gift of observation in labeling his fellow prisoners and those that are in authority over them, therefore this sort of brings the reader in person with some very difficult truths and questions regarding the nature of human beings. One of these evidences is man's apparently huge capability for malevolent.

Trust

Trust in All Quiet on the Western Front is evident. The themes in All Quiet on the Western Front additionally familiarize the reader with the true realities of war such as trust. Remarque highlights the strong feeling of comradeship among soldiers that comes when war happens. Camaraderie is a theme that is very important throughout the book because it shows trust. "But by far the most important result was war awakened in us a strong, practical sense of esprit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of the war- comradeship." (26-27) In the book their comradeship is what keeps them together. This quote does make it evident that these men in Baumer's company appreciated their association and lived like they were lifelong brothers. One example of this kind of spirit of the troops is when Paul carries his injured friend Katczinsky to get some help. Even though gets a fragment in the head and dies while being carried by Paul, this was a clear show of comradeship. This showed that everybody needed someone to rely on. The comradeship represents trust in the book because that is all they had to stand for.

In Survival in Auschwitz trust had a different turn because there was not anyone Primo could trust. For example, in this same chapter of The Drowned Levi recalls how many prisoners, especially among his fellow Italians, were immediately sent to their death simply because, that Nazi's did not trust them. The Nazi's did not trust anyone and those that were inmates had a lack of trust as well. Levi understood that communication was key in the camp but he also knew that who he connected with had to be very restricted because nobody could be trusted.

In Chapter 2, suitably called the "On the Bottom," Levi understands that the "word" trust is impossible to find in the camp because nobody could be depended on. He was a prisoner and because he wore that stigma, he was neither trusted by those that were his inmates. Many tried to befriend other people in order to either try or kill them to get their food and clothing or they just wanted to trick them.

They would trick them into spilling some valuable information that the Nazi were unaware of and the n report that person to get them killed. They figure in this betrayal or breach of trust was done, then in some kind of way they could rise in the ranks of the camp. discusses his experience of being processed as a prisoner into Auschwitz and the realization that they will not be treated with any human regard. He and all the prisoners who arrive with him are stripped of everything they own and are shaved, disinfected, and tagged like they were livestock. Once the prisoners have been processed and they see what they have become, Levi describes the supreme indignation of their treatment as "the demolition of a man" and all realize that "It is not possible to sink lower than this, no human condition is more miserable than this, nor could it conceivably be so" (26-27).

In conclusion, it is clear that All Quiet on the Western Front and "Survival in Auschwitz" displayed various forms of authority and legitimacy, leadership and trust in roles that meant survival. Survival appeared to be the name of the game and all four of these played a part in doing that for both books. In the end, it is obvious that both stories were probably more similar than different.