The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

Introductory Paragraph:

The heart and core of this paper is to analyze the statement presented in the novel by a character named Duddy Kravitz. The statement suggests the modern approach of materialism; Duddy Kravitz said in this novel at several places that “A man without land is nothing.” How this paper is formed could be analyzed through the worksheets presented at the end of this paper. (See Appendix)

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is Richler's best-known novel, and it was made into a successful film. After rendering life miserable for the teachers at Fletcher's Field High School, Duddy lands a hotel job at a summer resort area north of Montreal (as Richler did). A sympathetic chambermaid, Yvette, shows him an unspoiled lake which, following his grandfather's dictum that a man without land is nothing, Duddy vows to own, in spite of the anti-Semitism of the surrounding French Canadian farmers. His despicable treatment of the innocent epileptic who is driving a truck for him so disgusts Yvette that she ceases to help him and reveals his dishonesty to his grandfather. Thus, when Duddy shows his family the lake he has finally acquired, his grandfather is not impressed and Duddy's triumph is diminished. Moral ambiguity is central to Duddy's character. On one hand, he brazenly and ruthlessly exploits and betrays those who help him; on the other hand, he does rescue his brother from a dire predicament and gives compassionate help to a dying uncle. Similarly, Richler satirizes both Jews and Gentiles, often in amusing episodes.

Thesis statement:

“A man without land is nothing”

Text A

Main point 1:

A Man without Land is Nothing

The structure of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz follows the familiar pattern of the quest. The goal of the quest is defined for the protagonist, Duddy Kravitz, very early in the novel. Duddy must choose whether he wishes to follow the example of the Boy Wonder, Jerry Dingleman, and parlay a few streetcar transfers into a gangster's fortune or become a success in the manner insisted upon by his grandfather, who maintains that “a man without land is nobody.” Duddy chooses the curious mixture of his grandfather's elevated goal and more than a few of Dingleman's dubious methods. The object of the quest becomes nothing less than a beautiful pastoral lake in the Laurentians that Duddy plans to turn into a summer resort. The novel's major focus is on the obstacles that Duddy must overcome in order to gain the land he needs to become a “man” and what happens to Duddy's character in the fulfillment of that quest.

The first section of the novel deals not with the quest for land but with Duddy's conflict with his high-school teacher, Mr. MacPherson. This conflict points out the mixed nature of Duddy Kravitz; for example, he demonstrates his family feeling when he reacts fiercely to MacPherson's casual insult to his father. He also shows his ruthlessness as he badgers MacPherson with telephone calls, and he makes MacPherson violate his ...