Stanislaus Katczinsky Character Analysis From All is Quiet on the Western Front

 Stanislaus Katczinsky, other wise known as 'Kat' is one of the oldest characters in the book. He is forty years old, while the rest of the men that are brought onto the field are about 19. With this difference in age, and maturity, Kat becomes a sort of father figure to the other boys - and takes care of them. Kat is a scavenger, he usually can find food, supplies, clothes, and other necessary items for the soldiers. Watching out for the boys, and taking care of them has a hard effect on Kat because he can see the affect the war has had on the young men that he holds under his wing. Paul is Kat's best-friend in this novel, as Kat is Paul's, and together they make it through most of the war.  Kat while he is known for his skills at always seeming to find whatever is needed, he is also recognized for having a kind of "sixth sense" - in that he has a pretty good tendency to know the outcome of a battle. Kat dies late in the book during an attack. Paul tries to save Kat picking up his wounded friend and carrying him to the triage area. Even with Pauls help, and the hope his courage brings Kat seems to know that his wounds are fatal. Kat dies on the way to the triage, and you can really understand just how much love Kat had for his fellow soldiers, when he calls them his brothers. They are no longer just boys, - but have been transformed into an equal of Kats through the war. They are brothers.